


Of Asgardian Blood

by starkreactor



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Not Iron Man 3 Compliant, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Rewrite, Student Tony, Teacher Loki, and if tony had magic, it is my old version of how ragnarok would play out if it stuck close to the books, tags will update as chapters update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-09-16 07:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 61,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16949637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkreactor/pseuds/starkreactor
Summary: Magic can be found on all Nine Worlds but one: Earth, also known as Midgard. When rumor spreads of a Midgardian Sorcerer who is to stop the upcoming apocalyptic battle of Ragnarok Tony Stark learns what it means to be of Asgardian blood, finding the weight of the survival of the Nine Worlds on the shoulders of himself and the god of mischief, Loki Laufeyson.[Rewrite/Repost of 2013 fic "Of Asgardian Blood"]





	1. Abnormal Events

**Author's Note:**

> hello so. this fic was originally posted in 2013 and i've been contemplating reuploading for years now, mostly not doing so out of laziness with rewriting (bc this is a Monster Fic) but i feel i have a duty to rewrite and repost it at some point. that point has come. [i was gonna retitle it too but im honestly too attached to this name now haha]
> 
> this is a story originally set post avengers but planned before any other mcu movie had come out . given the time frame it was written in, it kinda ignores im3 but later (as the fic was originally written between 2012 and 2014) focuses on thor tdw as a source of villains and plot movement so im not changing that aspect. on that note, i have rewritten some parts to include hints of things from the movies later released, fix up some grammar/phrasing/characterizations/magic theories etc, but the plot is the same. irrelevant point if you havent read this before but i wanted to clear that up since im reposting this a good few years after it's original conception.
> 
> final note: i simply want to extend all gratitude to those who helped me in the past and those who are reading (or rereading) this now!

The day began as normal as possible, normal according to Tony Stark's terms. There was not much to be concerned with anymore: the restoration of New York was on it's way to completion, Loki was locked away in Asgard, and the Avengers had barely any work left to do themselves. Each member had gone their separate ways after the city teamed with DODC and rendered each Avenger's individual participation in clean-up unnecessary. At that fact, Tony mostly laid back in his New York Stark tower which was also restored to its former glory. No more Loki-imprints in his penthouse floor now.

Still, the serenity about the city was uncanny, even to Tony, who liked to ignore most everything in the world that had nothing to do with him. Thor hadn't come down to Earth in ages as well and it seemed as if the whole universe was at a stand still. There were no villains, no bad guys, no superheroes performing acrobatic heroics. Just the usual "catch-that-robber-he-stole-my-purse" stuff, which irritated and insulted Tony simultaneously. Here he was in a suit of red and gold pointing his palm at a quivering black-clothed man when he could be off doing some real work, like, oh, stopping another psychopathic alien god from taking over Earth.

But no. All the villains in the world were having a congregation or something, Tony didn't know, he just wanted to kick ass. Have a real battle that challenged him. So far, his biggest challenge was upgrading his suit, which, needless to say, was starting to become less of a challenge as he found himself doing so more often. There was also the issue of the weird jumpstart in his arc reactor. It had scared him to death the first time it occurred.

He had been playing around with a couple robots (Dum-E really wanted to hang out that day) when the light of the reactor flickered off. Just like that. Off. Completely out like a light, pun intended. Tony had gasped with a hand to his chest and collapsed to the floor, sweating as he reached for a cabinet where his spare rested. The robots started whirling around the lab in a frenzied panic and Jarvis began to pester. Before his shaking fingers could grab a hold of the cabinet handle, the reactor flickered back on, glowing blue light and all. It had happened three more times since then, each time longer than before.

It never killed him and did nothing but progressively unnerve him. One day, Steve had come over for reasons Tony didn't understand (or care to know) and his arc reactor promptly went out. Tony fell off the couch with a exaggerated choked back gasp and the blonde had a panic attack, running through the tower trying to find Tony's spare. By the time Steve returned with a spare in hand, panting with blonde hair splayed across his face, Tony was watching television with a whistle, tablet in hand and arc reactor back to work. Seeing the look on Steve's face was totally worth getting the spare chucked toward his head.

Anyway, that is beside the point.

It was a normal day. Normal as in Tony was down in his lab trying to figure out why his arc reactor was acting up. If any villain finally decided to come out of hiding, Tony would be toast if his arc reactor decided _hey, Tony, let me go out for a sec and leave you on your own to die._ According to his calculations, the next blackout could last for five minutes which would most definitely kill him. With a sense of urgency at that hypothesis, he was working very hard to find a solution, any solution really. That was when the day turned not normal. Abnormal in a way.

Surprisingly interesting.

"Thor?" Tony exclaimed as he was shocked from the intricate process of analyzing important math equations. There was no doubt about his question though; the frazzled blonde armored man in front of him was indeed Thor the god of thunder, fellow Avenger of his from the mystical alien land of Asgard.

Yes, the exact Asgard from Norse legend.

"Anthony, I wish to ask something of you," the god asked, voice hoarse and not as boisterous as Tony recalled. The brunette placed his tablet down with a frown marring his lips and stood up. Thor stood in the doorway with his hammer in hand, eyes steady on Tony as he stepped forward from his desk.

"Shoot. I'm all ears."

"Loki has escaped from Asgard."

"That's not a question, Thor." Tony growled, fists at his side.

He would never forgive the black-haired god for tossing him out the window even though it gave him the added perk of officially putting "recently defenestrated" on his SHIELD/Iron Man resumé.

(He actually did and Fury threatened to castrate him for being a smart-ass.)

"I know, Stark; that's not my question, only a precursor to it. I came to ask if you have seen him recently given he has escaped. I need to return him to his prison as soon as possible so all information about his whereabouts will be helpful."

Tony rose an eyebrow as he turned from Thor and waltzed back to his seat. "You want to know if I've seen Loki? Thor, you would know if I've seen Loki. I have no way to contact you, but you'd find out, I'd make sure of it one way or another." the man turned mid pace, watching the thunder god sulk. "Why'd you ask me though?"

"Loki is one I cannot seem to truly understand. He may think hiding with the enemy is his one way to escape his punishment so I had to ask."

Tony's eye twitched as a spasm of surprise rushed through him. "Are you insinuating that I would hide Loki here in Stark Tower with me?"

"No, Stark, I--"

"If you still have yet to notice, Thor," started Tony as he stepped back toward Thor with a burn in his chest, "your brother is an ego-driven megalomaniac psychopathic sorcerer who wants everyone on Earth under his control. Why the hell would I keep him here with me?"

Thor paled, staring at the finger pointed in his face. Those thundering blue eyes were wide with shock and honestly, Tony was a little startled by his angry outburst, too. He pulled back his hand and rubbed at the back of his neck as Thor bowed his head lightly. "I mean not to insult you, Stark. I only wish to keep Midgard safe just as much as you. Loki is a threat and I aim to destroy all threats."

"I've been high-strung recently with nothing much to do. Where have all the villains gone? Sheesh." the engineer stretched slightly as he walked back to one of his cluttered desks, sitting down on it once he had cleared space, "Look, Loki's out and about, but he hasn't done shit yet. If he does anything, I'll be sure to alert you."

"The Bifrost is repaired so Heimdall can once more see the activities of Midgard. He will be sure to alert me so your efforts are not needed. I thank you for the kindness though." Thor smiled lightly before sighing. "I must be on my way to look for Loki. He has not used magic, which has made it harder to find him."

"You don't have some weird brother mind connection thing?" Thor gave Tony a look of utter confusion. "No? Well then, forget I said it. I thought maybe since you both sort of use magic, you could contact each other through it. Brotherly bonds and all. They have those with magic, right?"

A wave of darkness Tony didn't understand washed over Thor's calm face. "Those bonds have been severed, Stark. I can no longer reach him that way."

With that, Thor pointed his hammer toward the ceiling and blasted his way out the tower, tearing a godly hole through every floor of Tony's tower in the process.

Tony groaned as he slid off the table onto the cool tiled floor. "Jarvis, tell Pepper Thor visited and created a mess. We'll need the workers again."

"Of course, sir," the AI system replied.

That marked abnormal event Number One for the day. And yes, there were more.

Three hours after Thor's departure and the sketchy patching of the holes in the tower, Tony went skimming through some random files that had been scattered through the room after Thor left. He had never seen them before and found them interesting, guffawing at the silly names he found in the file. _Sleipnir, Freyr, Surtr._ Seriously, who would name a horse Sleipnir? And a male god named Freyr? The arrival of Thor and Loki shocked the world, Tony included, but these names couldn't be real.

He considered tossing them in the lab's incinerator with a fond chuckle--he wasn't much of a paper user anymore so if these files really had any importance he would have digital copies of them to sort through at a later time--but he stopped himself when the names Howard and Maria Stark caught his eye. Tony was confused of course; there wasn't much reason for his parents' names to be on files with abnormal names. So Tony read on, curious with nothing better to do. At first read, the files looked like a lineage chart. A tracing of bloodlines of a sort. If his eyes were correct, which they most definitely were, the papers said that Howard Stark was a descendant of Fulla and Gna while his mom was a descendant of Eir and Hlin, whoever those people happened to be.

"Hey Jarv, who are Fulla, Gna, Eir, and Hlin?"

"Fulla is one of Queen Frigga's attendants, her closest one to be exact since they are siblings. Hlin and Gna are also Queen Frigga's attendants. Gna is her messenger and runs errands for Queen Frigga. The three of them are goddesses. Eir is Queen Frigga's companion and she is a goddess valkyrie associated with healing. All four serve Frigga and Frigga only."

Tony blinked twice with confusion. "All four of these women are goddesses?"

"Yes, sir."

Tony could barely breathe. It couldn't be true, what Jarvis said. Fulla, Hlin, Gna, and Eir weren't common names, but they couldn't be the same goddesses! If so, then that meant Tony was the one being with the bloodline of all four goddesses who serve Frigga. Which also meant he wasn't human. He was part god.

_Part Asgardian._

"No, no, no," he stuttered, the papers slipping from his fingers onto the floor at his feet. "I can't--I'm not the descendant of them. These papers are lies." With panicked eyes, he looked up at the closest camera in the vicinity as if he could look at Jarvis himself. "How come you never told me about them? Why have I never seen them before? Surely I should have seen them when looking through my dad's shit when I tried to make Starkium."

"I know not, sir. I did not know they existed." Jarvis sounded apologetic and it managed to calm Tony down just enough. "In fact, I am surprised you can read the text."

Tony rose a confused eyebrow, looking down at the text with a frown. Now that the AI brought it to Tony's attention, he realized the words before him weren't quite composed of letters from his native language's alphabet.

Jarvis continued on in Tony's wavering silence. "It is written in Old Norse."

Tony shook his head with a snarl. "I can't read Old Norse; I don't even know how to read runes and I sure as hell don't know how to translate it into English without even realizing it." He stepped out his lab as if being in the same room as the files would somehow make their truths leave him. "How come I don't have godly powers if I'm the descendant of four goddesses? Don't tell my innate beauty and snarkiness is my godly power!"

Tony didn't even know who he was talking to anymore, he just screamed at the ceiling. He screamed as if anyone up in the sky could hear him. And then, his arc reactor went out and he fell to the ground in an elegant heap.

* * *

"Queen Frigga, my lady," the blonde queen looked up from her writings, surprised to find Heimdall in her doorway.

"Heimdall. It is a pleasant surprise to see you here at this moment. You should relay your message to Gna next time so you do not have to leave your post at Bifrost."

"This is urgent, Queen Frigga. I could not let my words be misspoken, even if Gna is one of the best messengers in Asgard." the gold clad man stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him.

Frigga stood up with an elegance unmatched, letting her gown flow behind her as she walked toward the Bifrost guard, "What is it? Have you located my son?"

"No; Loki is still hidden to me. I assume then that he has yet to let you in on his whereabouts."

"You assume correctly, Heimdall. He speaks with me now although it is mostly ranting. Even with such resistance on Loki's part, there has been much improvement compared to when we last spoke face to face." the queen's eyes turned toward the ground, darkening slightly, "I know my son, my baby boy Loki, is still in there. I merely wish for his safe return."

"Loki will return when he feels like it. That is all I can say, Queen Frigga." Heimdall stared at the queen with his golden eyes, "Regardless, you know of Anthony Edward Stark from Midgard, correct?"

"Yes." She smiled softly with her words. "He is the brave soul who managed to destroy the Chitauri mothership. He is also of the bloodline of my loyal goddesses. All four I do believe."

"Correct. He is the one being outside of Asgard whose bloodline purely serves you, Frigga." Frigga's eyes widened. She had yet to realize that aspect of Stark's unique bloodline until now. Part of her would admonish herself for forgetting information as vital as so but much had happened in the Odinson family that required her attention over tracking bloodlines in Midgardians. "Given that fact," Heimdall continued, dragging Frigga's attention from her thoughts back to him, "Anthony Stark is a mortal capable of magic since he carries so much Asgardian blood within him. His magic and his arc reactor are currently battling."

"Battling?" the queen paled slightly, a hand at her mouth. "Loki informed me that Stark's arc reactor nulled the magic from his staff."

"As of now, his arc reactor is dead and his magic is free yet uncontrolled."

"Oh my," Frigga gasped, eyes wide with amazement. "Is he," the queen shook her head. "Tell me this Heimdall, no," she stopped herself again, fingers at her lips as thoughts compiled in her head with a speed that couldn't match her verbal requests. She closed her eyes with a determined puff. "I will see for myself."

"Queen Frigga, you have not used your seer magic in many centuries. I would not recommend using it. You know how difficult it is to see the future of a Midgardian while using seer magics."

Frigga waved a passing hand. "He is my companion, my follower. He serves me now and is not as pure-blood Midgardian as we may think." Heimdall did not reply, so the goddess turned, walking to her desk. "Stark can not stay on Midgard with uncontrolled magic. His magic will be easily traceable and he will be manipulated. Stark needs to be taught. Taught well."

"All the sorcerers here do not teach or were killed."

"I know." a devious smirk crossed Frigga's lips as she stared at a painting of a green-eyed missing prisoner god. "We do not need a sorcerer here in Asgard in order to teach Stark the ways of magic."

Heimdall grew confused. "My queen?"

"You may leave, Heimdall. I have personal business to confront." the woman spoke no more as the Bifrost guardian left her.

Once he was out of her quarters, Frigga put a hand to her mouth to stifle her excited gasp. She could barely believe it. She knew Stark was of four godly bloodlines that serve her, but she did not think the combination would activate a powerful source such as magic. No, she shook her head to herself as her thoughts recollected against the excited thrill filling her body, if it were just the combination of godly blood, Stark would have been born using magic. Thinking back, Frigga noted it had been three months since the unfortunate Chitauri invasion. Perhaps it was the magic of Ginnungagap--the empty space between the worlds--that kickstarted the mortal's magic. The magic in Ginnungagap feels Asgardian blood and all Asgardians carry magic. Stark's had just been locked and inaccessible given he is mortal and not consistently surrounded by magic.

A mortal with magic, it was a curious concept that lead Frigga to wonder where he stored his magic. Most magic was stored in the heart, but Stark's arc reactor was a magnet from what Thor had told her. As Loki had said, Stark _did_ have a mortal human heart as well. That would explain the battling: Stark's Starkium (his artificial heart) battling with his pure magic (his real heart).

"Mother," Frigga turned from her desk and smiled softly at the blonde in the doorway, "has Loki called to you? Did he tell you of--"

"No, Thor. Loki has not spoken to me recently. Do not worry; if he ever tells me where he is, I will inform you of the news." the blonde goddess walked to her son slowly. "I miss your brother terribly and I want him back as soon as possible as well, Thor. You know just as well as I that Loki carries a temper and a grudge."

"I know, I just--," the thunder god squeezed his blue eyes shut with a growl. "I went to my fellow Avenger Anthony Stark today."

"Oh, did you?" Hmm, perhaps Thor's magic helped kickstart Stark's magic.

"I asked him if he had seen Loki and he mentioned something about magical bonds between Loki and I." Frigga's heart snapped in two at the lugubrious look crossing Thor's face. "I had to tell him the truth that Loki had severed those bonds. That I can no longer contact him. I wish it weren't the truth. I want to help find him, but all I can do is go through the nine with Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr and it is not helping while you are--"

"Thor, you _are_ helping. You and Loki may not have a magic based bond anymore, but your emotional bond is still there and makes you determined to find him. Looking for him helps. Everything helps."

Thor slumped with a resigned sigh but let Frigga hold him in a warm motherly embrace. It had been a long time since she had done so and honestly, she missed it. She missed holding her sons like this and being a family. Thor left shortly after the hug and Frigga opened her mind, reaching out for the familiar feeling of Loki's magic mind, his inner magic.

"Stop prodding around; I will not inform you of where I reside." Loki's voice echoed through the queen's head. He was sharp, bitter, and annoyed. "What is it you require? I was resting."

"I have a request of you." Frigga looked back at her desk where the picture of Loki stood. She stroked his face with a carefully arched finger and kept a deep sigh to herself. "It is very important and urgent."

"A request of me?" Loki's laugh saddened Frigga, "I believe you are in error with whom you wish to contact for such a thing. There is no way possible I will agree to a request from you, regardless of what it is, Frigga." Oh, how she ached for Loki to call her mother again.

"Loki, please. You need to do this, no one else can."

"What has Thor gotten himself into now? I quite enjoyed dressing him up as Freya to go to Thrym, but I will not clean up after anymore of his messes." Loki's voice was angry and cold. "I no longer wish to associate with the likes of Thor and Odin."

"It is for me, Loki."

Tears formed in Frigga's eyes at the soft _oh_ her son slipped out. It took work before Loki would properly speak to her. He never hated her like he claimed to hate Thor and Odin, but their relationship was still rocky and he was still very angry.

"Well then, what is it?"

His voice was not as stern when he replied and it gave Frigga hope that her request could be fulfilled. She turned from the portrait on her desk and smiled to herself. "I want you to find Anthony Edward Stark and teach him magic."


	2. More Questions Than Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki refuses to accept reality while Tony finds out he has no other choice but to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2 is here! i wanna point out that the chapters flow between loki and tony’s povs but the majority of the story lies in tony’s pov.

Loki found out too easily that it was not as difficult to escape from prison as he had originally thought. He stayed there for a month to humor Thor and left with a quick spell. Since then, he roamed through the nine and had finally found his place in Vanaheim. Loki had always liked this realm given that they housed the fertility and seer gods and goddesses. When he was younger, he would joke around with Thor and tell the blonde that he wished he was Vanir, not Aesir. Especially when he could not fight in the likes of Thor or Sif and the Warriors Three.

Loki _could_ fight, mostly with daggers, bow and arrows, and the occasional short sword, but he much preferred to use combat magic in battles like the Vanir, who used seithr magic. Loki had always wanted to learn seithr magic because of his interests in combatant magic, hence why he came to Vanaheim. He hid himself from Heimdall--an easy task he'd done many a time--discontinued his use of Aesir magic, and learned the ways of seithr. That was why no one could trace his magic. He wasn't using it anymore.

Of course there was the problem of Frigga, thought she was not much as a problem of existence as much as a problem caused by Loki still caring more than he would wish. She tried to talk to him on occasion before he left his prison but he refused to listen. She too kept the secret although he would always have a soft spot for her. The first day Frigga contacted Loki through magic though, he cut her off. He easily shut her down and tuned her out and tried to ignore the fact it hurt to do so.

She pestered long enough and he submitted to her calls in the end. At first he did not speak a word in return, smirking as she asked him to come back to Asgard. As time went on though, he found himself talking with her and even ranting to her. Frigga was the one Aesir he could and was willing to talk with. She didn't treat him like scum or a criminal. She treated him like her son and Loki missed that. He needed it in the aftermath brought by Thor's inauguration and the consequential fallouts.

Until this request.

A request that he teach a mortal magic. Not just any mortal at that, but _Anthony Stark_ , the Man of Iron. The fool who disabled his magic and the one who destroyed the Chitauri mothership. Loki kindled a special hatred for the brunette that almost rivaled his hatred for Thor. Perhaps if he had told Frigga of his intense hatred, she would not have asked this of him.

Plus, when was Stark capable of magic? Loki would have definitely caught wind of his energy. Even then, why would she ask him to teach magic? The likelihood he would teach Stark was extremely low, almost non-existent. It was essentially teaching his enemy his biggest strengths and weaknesses. Who did Frigga think he was?

Loki ended the call right after her request and stewed in anger, sitting on his staunchly comfortable bed. He was dressed in linen; a red shirt and tight black pants. Across all realms, colors carried magical meaning and, as it turned out, red in Vanaheim had the same meaning as green in Asgard. It wasn't Loki's favorite color and reminded him of Thor, Stark, blood, and well, nothing of much desire to want to dress in the color.

The god climbed off his mattress, slipping on a pair of black combat boots situated at the foot of his bed. With a wave of his hand, his frazzled black hair shortened and curled to ears length. Using seithr magic all the time brought an interestingly different tone to Loki's body. Vanir magic had a calm sense to it. Relaxed, gentle, and flowing. Loki wasn't used to it and found it hard to control. He had to learn to relax and concentrate on the feeling, not the force, behind and within the magic.

Being considered royal blood in Asgard made his looks too familiar, so to stay hidden, Loki dyed his hair red, changed his eye color to blue, and shortened his height. No one had suspected him of being Loki to his face at least and he had a teacher, Freyr himself to be exact: the king of Vanaheim. His sister, Freya, was the queen, but she lived in Asgard. Freyr did too, but the blonde king spent more time in Vanaheim, his home land.

Freya was the true master of seithr magic, having taught it to Odin years ago, but Loki and she were friends--well, at the least according to the last time he spoke with her. She would recognize him immediately and report him to Odin and Frigga if he dared to ask for her teachings. Freyr was the next best step but Loki was learning a lot from him. There were more formulas and techniques he had to learn to use the new magic but he loved it all the same. Learning was his thing; one of the few things he excelled at. Despite this, Loki itched to use his Aesir magic knowing he couldn't unless he wanted Heimdall to spot him. He was already using it in the background to hide his magic traces. Today brought freedom from that fact for he could finally use seithr magic and be free of Aesir.

Hearing a rustle, Loki turned and smiled at the black-furred dog that curled in on herself at his feet. This dog was a stray who loved to follow Loki around since his arrival at Vanaheim two months back. Loki had named her Kyna, which is the Midgardian translation of Gunna, a nickname for one called Guthrun: _godly being with secrets_. Loki chose the name Kyna because he felt an unusual connection--a magical bond--to the four-legged animal. She liked him a lot and always had a mischievous sparkle in her convivial green eyes.

"What has brought you in here?" he asked, watching Kyna perk. "You don't like to come in here this early. Ready for your walk already?"

At that, Kyna jumped onto her feet, tail wagging excitedly as she stared up at Loki. Loki laughed cheerily as he petted her head and put on a thin jacket. One great thing about hiding out in Vanaheim was that no one knew him. He wasn't expected to be perfect or to be king or royalty. He could be himself for once. He could be anyone he wanted. He could escape the harsh reality of the real world, escape his failures and his true heritage. None of that mattered here and it was a lovely way to exist.

_But that stupid request._

Loki shook his head as he walked out the front doors to the wooden house, Kyna by his side. Frigga was trying to bring the one thing that made him happy (magic) to his enemy (his failure). He didn't want the two worlds to mix. He wanted nothing to do with Frigga, Odin, Thor, Stark, or anyone from his past. He was tired of being second best at every task. Loki couldn't even take over a realm (or destroy one) without Thor stepping in as the golden boy to fix every damn thing.

The trickster god felt anger boiling inside him as he and Kyna walked down the empty cobblestoned street. The moon was full and bright, lending gentle white light during the walk. Loki took a deep breath; now was not the time to get angry. He may have hated Thor with a passion, but wasn't the point of escaping prison to get away from Thor? To get away from the past and look of disappointment in Frigga's eyes? To start anew in a way?

Now, Frigga was trying to get him involved with a mortal. Teach his ways to a bumbling egocentric human. Loki couldn't help the arrogant snort that slipped from his mouth at the thought. He was perfectly fine on the run in Vanaheim learning seithr magic. No one knew him, no one needed to know him, he could forget.

"Hyrr," Loki turned at the name, surprised to see Freyr up so late walking outside palace grounds, "I did not know you take midnight walks."

"I usually don't, but my mind has kept me awake." the god smiled as he bowed his head lightly toward the Vanaheim king, "Kyna wanted to take a walk as well and since this is a beautiful night, I decided to go out."

"I see," Freyr started walking and Loki followed him, Kyna trotting between the two. "You have learned much these past few months."

Loki nodded in response. "Yes, seithr magic is intriguing and interesting. I am used to Aesir magic so it is amazing to see how different yet similar it is." the god brushed a strand of red hair back, "I want to ask something of you."

"Ask away, my friend."

"Is it possible for a mortal to possess magic?" brown eyes turned to him with confusion. "I know it sounds quite unusual but I wish to know."

"Have you gone venturing and found a mortal you wish to use magic, Hyrr?"

The smirk, wriggle of the eyebrows, and twinkle of the eyes Freyr gave Loki almost made him blush.

"No, no; that is preposterous. Me fancying a mere mortal? No." Loki chuckled but his laughter sobered faster than he would have wished. "I have heard rumors of the Midgardian sorcerer being more than a childish legend."

Such legends of the Midgardian Sorcerer were typically told to children as stories of hope for the fragile mortality found in Midgard's humans.

"Ah," the blonde king nodded with his eyes shut. "There are mortals on Midgard who carry Asgardian blood still. Only a few have enough within them that can activate long hidden magic."

"What type? Vanir do not have mortals that carry their blood, so it must be Aesir magic."

"As you yourself have demonstrated, you do not have to be Aesir to learn seithr magic."

Loki hoped very much so that his moth--Frigga--never found out of his knowledge of seithr magic. She would most definitely make him teach it to Stark. Loki mentally paused at that thought. He was not going to agree to the request and he was not about to start thinking of situations where he hypothetically would be. Hypothetical situations often led to them being implemented in reality and this was one reality Loki did not want to see blossom.

Loki continued on as if his thoughts hadn't led him astray. "Why is it that so many Aesir do not know the ways of seithr magic? So many Vanir sorcerers and sorceresses live in Asgard now." 

"Seithr magic is considered weak magic to many Aesir." A sad smile crawled onto the king's thin lips. "During Midgard's ancient days Seithr magic was mostly practiced by women. Men who practiced were usually homosexual. Even though Midgard has evolved with ideas and acceptance of sexuality the view of seithr magic has yet to change for the Aesir." Loki cast his eyes downward and stared at the stones beneath his sheltered feet. "In Vanaheim, that does not apply. Seithr magic is simply magic and Asgard magic is Aesir magic."

"In Asgard, we call seithr magic Vanir magic. I always found it interesting though. I wanted to be Vanir when I was young. War and battle were never my strength."

"If so, then why head straight into so many of them, Loki?"

Loki froze mid-step at the sound of his name, blue eyes narrowed at the king before him. Kyna sat down and stared between the two, head cocked to the side with confusion and slight worry. Freyr's face was expressionless and that irritated Loki even more.

"How did you know? I have never been out of my disguise and I never use Aesir magic near you."

"Have you forgotten? You use Aesir magic to hide your traces of it. To make sure no one can find you and force you to pay for your crimes." a snarl formed on Loki's lips. "Do not get angry; no one else knows. You have always been great with your disguises."

"Why have you yet to report me to Odin? Why teach me if I am an escaped criminal? I have tried to take over worlds and _destroy_ them."

Freyr chuckled as if Loki was a child and yes, in comparison to Freyr's old age he was, but the laughter only made more anger boil in the god's gut. "Why should I be one to deny one access to knowledge that may heal them?" started Freyr with a warm smile. "After all, seithr magic is sometimes a form of medical magic." Loki continued on with gritted teeth. "Tell me who is the mortal with magic."

"He is no one, Freyr," the angry god spat, not looking at Freyr, who was no longer walking. "He should not have magic; Frigga might finally be losing her mind after meddling in the futures of Midgardians."

"Do not speak of your mother that way."

Loki turned on his heel at that, no longer in his disguise as his green magic flared around his lanky body. Green eyes glared at Freyr and a glare was set on his face. "That woman is _not_ my mother. Frigga is not my mother, Odin is not my father, and Thor is not my brother. I have no family, so never address them as such."

The king's weary brown eyes drooped at Loki's harsh words. Before Loki could let Freyr reply, he stormed off in a rage, Kyna at his heels.

Loki had no family. He did not obey Frigga's every command and he would certainly not obey this one.

* * *

Abnormal event Number Three for the day: actually being alive. Yes, the abnormalities couldn't help themselves. They just needed to make Tony Stark's life more complicated than it already was.

"Tony! Tony! Are you up?"

Brown eyes opened slowly, blinking as harsh white light struck his sight. After a minute or so of this blinking, he recognized the faces looking down at him.

"Hey guys. Why am I still alive?" Tony scratched at his head before putting a hand to his glowing chest. "What happened?"

"Jarvis called and told us your arc reactor died. We came here as soon as possible." Steve replied calmly, but his blue eyes were wide with worry. "I think you need to be watched more often. We all thought you had died."

"I should have. My calculations said my reactor would be out for five minutes. Just two kills me." the brunette sat up, batting away the hand that was keeping him down. "I can sit up, Steve; you're not my mother. As for the being watched thing, that's not necessary. Jarvis does a good enough job with that."

"I think Steve's right, Tony." Bruce spoke up, adjusting his glasses. "Your arc reactor is becoming a serious hazard for everyone." _Like it wasn't one before_. "You can't be Iron Man if your reactor goes out and you end up getting killed in the middle of a battle."

"What battle? There are no villains, haven't you noticed? I don't need my suit to be able to stop a robbery; all I need to do is arrive at the scene and Mr. Robber will drop his goodies. That's called the power of Tony Stark, friends. Look it up."

Tony climbed out of bed to Steve, Clint, and Bruce's protests. He turned on them and uncharacteristically snapped. "Shut up, will you? I am completely fine. I'm not gonna die anytime soon."

"Stark, we worry, okay?" Natasha spoke up, brown eyes trained on Tony. "You almost died on us once again. It's too frequent."

Tony went silent at that, but then waved a passing hand. "Yeah, yeah, you all can go now. I've got some important research to do."

Research being looking up more information about his ancestors. _Fulla, Gna, Eir, and Hlin._ He could barely process the fact of the matter right now; being part Asgardian and probably distantly related to Thor. That was kind of cool. 

Tony's fellow Avengers did leave (Steve pestered around for a bit, but an rich explanation into the mechanics of Tony's arc reactor sent the soldier away) and so the man focused on learning more about these four goddesses that he was related to. Perhaps this connection had something to do with his weird arc reactor happenings.

So far he couldn't find anything that really stuck out. They were just Frigga's followers really. Nothing too special. And then came abnormal event Number Four.

Once more, a godly hole was added to the architecture plan for his tower. This time brought someone Tony had never seen before. It was a woman with beautiful flowing brown hair dressed in a braid, bright and vibrant chocolate brown eyes and a golden yellow dress that would make Pepper jealous.

"Hey there," Tony winked at the woman, who raised an unamused eyebrow.

"Trying to flirt with me, Stark? I wouldn't recommend it."

"Already taken?"

"No, I'm Gna." the man coughed awkwardly, sitting down on the couch. "You're not as princely as I expected though. A little on the short side as well."

"'M not short, I'm fun sized."

"Sure you are but I did not come here for a simple chat."

"No, I guess not. You're pretty entertaining for a goddess, though." Tony crossed his arms. "What message do you have for me?" the goddess rose an impressed eyebrow. "Yeah, I do research."

"Frigga has been informed of your relation to her. If you don't know already, you are of Asgardian blood and serve Frigga just as much as me and my fellow goddesses." Tony rose an eyebrow.

"Ah, no. I don't serve anyone but myself, thank you very much." the man stood from his seat as Gna stepped forward, eyes set on him, "Look, I'm still trying to get over the fact that I'm part god. Four parts goddess to be exact." That last sentence sounded much better in his head. "I don't exactly believe it yet, but with the shit happening with my reactor and the arrival of you, I might just have to."

"Good. I have come here to tell you that Frigga expects you in Asgard by the end of the day."

Tony balked. "The end of the day? I have work to do on my suit and Pepper and I are supposed to go out for dinner tonight and--"

Gna's voice went steely. It sort of crept Tony out. "Cancel your plans. The queen of Asgard awaits you."

"How the hell am I supposed to get there? I'm not you with your voodoo teleportation devices."

"But you have magic."

One could say that was abnormal event Number Five (or 4.5, whatever the fuck it was).

Tony blinked and opened his mouth only to close it again. That sequence occurred three more times before words finally made their way out his mouth. "I _what?_ I don't think I heard you correctly; did you say I have magic?"

Gna rolled her eyes but answered anyway. "Yes. All beings of Asgardian blood have magic."

"I have magic. So, I have Loki's powers?"

"More or less. You are the Midgardian sorcerer." Tony stared at his hands with awe even though there was nothing particularly awesome about them other than the fact they were his. "Remember, Frigga wishes to speak with you tonight. Do not be late."

"Uh, okay," he said distractedly, twisting his hands every which way. "It's great to know I have magic but how do I use it?"

"I'm no expert on magic given I am but a simple messenger. Loki would tell me when he was young that he hated having to focus on his magic to teleport. I assume the same applies."

"Focus on magic. Okay, but I don't even know what it feels like." the newly discovered sorcerer furrowed his brow. "What does it feel like? Water? Or money? Or fame?"

"You are truly an idiot."

"I'm not an _idiot_. Do I need to show you my degrees?"

Gna ignored that comment and continued speaking, walking toward Tony at the same time. "Magic is an internal force inside oneself. It is also an external force around oneself. You have to feel the energy around you and inside you and only then will you feel magic."

Okay. Understandable.

Tony nodded and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He focused his mind on the energy around him and inside him. The soft purr of his reactor and the heat emitted from his body. The blood rushing through his veins and the buzz of the air around him. A soft hum entered his head, a gentle beautiful hum of a single soul-jerking note that immersed him in warmth. Unfamiliar warmth that chilled him at the same time. It was like getting shocked by electricity but much more safe and welcomed. He could feel every molecule inside and around him, feel each one move and release heat.

This was energy. This was magic.

It was a glorious feeling Tony enjoyed very much. It was probably also a _little_ too much.

"Oh," he stuttered, opening his eyes, face bright red with embarrassment as he quickly sat down, hands in his lap. "Uh, that was not supposed to happen."

Gna was obviously attempting not to laugh, a smirk on her lips as she failed to keep her laughter to herself. "Perhaps you should call for Heimdall until your magic is under control. He will transport you over."

"That might be best." the man chuckled lightly before realizing his chest no longer glowed. He jumped out of his seat with worry. "Oh my god, what the--why is this not on? How am I still alive?"

"Your reactor blocks magic." Gna rubbed at her chin lightly. "I assume that when you access magic, it overpowers your reactor."

"Got that but how the hell am I still alive? The shrapnel should've gotten to my heart; what is going on?"

"I don't understand it either, Stark." Tony bit at his bottom lip, staring down at the lifeless arc reactor embedded in his chest. It flickered blue twice before turning gray with death once more. "Maybe you should seek Frigga immediately."

"I should before I do something stupid like die." Tony looked up through the new hole in his ceiling with a sigh. "Hey Heimdall," he called, Gna shaking her head beside him, "if you can hear me, take me to Asgard."

Abnormal event Number Six: getting swallowed by a rainbow.

 


	3. The Migardian Sorcerer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony learns more about his role as the long fabled Midgardian Sorcerer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here is chapter 3! from now on this will have weekly updates since the chapters get longer and i want to put this on a regular update cycle while things develop. thank you all for reading and following along; im seriously estatic to get into the meat of the story with you all! ♡

Frigga stared at her picture of Loki, sadness consuming her tired heart. It wasn't surprising that Loki would not agree but somehow ending the call with no response was worse than ending it with a curt _no_. Stark needed someone to teach him magic and Loki was the perfect being to do so. Frigga didn't know why she thought this but perhaps through teaching Stark Loki could heal. Magic was always the god's soft spot after all.

The queen grumbled as she stood, turning from her desk simultaneously. Part of her wished she could consult Odin, but this was her affair. Stark served _her_ now and he needed to be taught properly in order to do so.

The blonde goddess exited her room quietly. Tonight she would meet Stark and induct him into the family workings. She also planned on somehow getting Loki here as well. Until Stark arrived, Frigga had to take the time to pester her son until he decided to come over.

"Loki," she called through her mind, searching for the prisoner god.

No one replied. Frigga grew quite irritated. She did not want Stark to learn under anyone else. No one carried or used magic the way Loki did and she wanted Stark to have the same, or similar, elegance. Loki made magic more beautiful when he used it. He made it something everyone wanted to use. At least when he was younger.

Now the name of magic was sickened and tarnished. Perhaps Stark could bring the good name back. (Or maybe not. After all, this was Tony Stark she was dealing with.)

"Loki, answer me right now. I am not in the mood for your tantrums." Frigga snapped, walking down the empty hall toward the entrance to the palace. Loki still did not reply. "Loki Jokull Odinson, I _demand_ you answer your mother this instant!"

A gasp ran through her as she suddenly felt an internal snap. The cool hum that would echo through her head when contacting Loki melded into the horrible screech of a dying animal. Everything was out of control in an uncomfortably controlled manner for a second that felt like hours. She couldn't see, hear, talk, breathe, do anything.

The queen collapsed to her knees, a hand at her throbbing chest. Her heart was pounding in her ears as the gut-wrenching scream quieted down. Her eyes were wet with tears that did not fall and she was shook on her knees, blonde hair strewn across her sweaty face. Frigga didn't understand what had just transpired. She reached out for Loki again, but felt nothing. There was no source of Loki's magic anymore.

Either Loki died or he severed the bond. _Destroyed_ their magical bond.

The tears started to fall. At first, they were slow and gentle, trailing down her gorgeous face. It didn't take long for Frigga to start sobbing, salty tears pouring down her face. This was it. Loki was gone to her. She broke his last straw asking him to teach Stark.

"My queen!"

Frigga looked up quickly, spotting her sister Fulla running toward her. The black haired goddess knelt down beside her sister who was donning a sad watery smile.

"He is gone. I can no longer reach Loki, Fulla." Frigga was surprised at how soft and empty her voice was.

"I told you it was note a wise decision to take in a Jotun child as your own." Fulla spat, helping Frigga off the floor. "All he has been is trouble and now look at you. He is killing you without even knowing it."

"Do not speak ill of my son, sister." the queen threatened. Fulla sighed.

"Frigga, he is no longer your son. Loki does not exist anymore." dark blue eyes stared into Frigga's brown ones. "This young man who wanders through the realms an escaped prisoner is merely a ghost of Loki."

"Loki is still there, Fulla, I know it. He may have shut me off for good, but I believe in my son. I believe he can get better."

"I will never understand you on this matter. To me, Loki is long gone. If you want your innocent little boy back, you will have to look back at memories because that is all that exists of him."

Frigga scowled at her sister's harsh words. She had turned to Fulla when Odin returned from Jotunheim with Loki in hand. Fulla had told her no. She told Frigga taking in a Jotun baby would blow up in their faces sooner or later. Frigga said yes to Odin's proposal anyway and it was all worth it despite the harm Loki had caused the family, especially Thor. Fulla was being inconsiderate and daft but the small part of Frigga that agreed with her sister was getting bigger at the goddess' words.

"I know I will never get my young boy Loki back, not since he is now a grown man." the two sisters walked down the hall, Fulla stiff with her steps. "I do believe he can grow stronger because of this. I do believe he can be redeemed and pulled out of this vicious cycle of hate he has ensnared himself in. Loki will never be the same, but I want him to get better. To acknowledge his wrongs and mistakes and learn from them."

Fulla didn't reply to that as they entered Frigga's chambers. The blonde queen reached out for Loki again, once more feeling nothing but emptiness. It was like there was a hole in her magical forces. A hole that contained Loki, his magic trace, the magic connection between the two. It was all gone.

Frigga didn't really realize how fragile their relationship was. Yes, any mention of him returning to Asgard set him off, but she didn't thinking asking him to teach Stark would be the final break. Yes, the two were "enemies", but Loki wanted to teach when he was younger.

Key phrase: when he was younger.

There was little to no reason for Loki to say yes. Why would he teach his ways of magic to his former enemy? In fact, there was no advantage for Loki by teaching Stark. All it was really was a chance at redemption from Frigga this time not Odin. Did that not change things? Did that not make Loki want to do it since Frigga was the one who asked for him?

"Do not get strung up over this Frigga. Loki will return to his more innocent ways when he wishes to after his tantrum is done." Oh, if Frigga could get a gold bar each time she heard someone say that.

"I asked him to teach magic."

"What?" Fulla narrowed her blue eyes at Frigga, who smiled softly. "Teach magic? You know how different his view and take on magic is! Why would you ask him to spread it?"

Fulla really disliked Loki.

"I asked him to teach Stark. Anthony Stark, the Midgardian Sorcerer." Fulla's eyebrows rose at Frigga's words. "I know I usually ask you for your opinion on topics before I make my decisions, but this one, not so."

"No wonder why he severed his connection with you. What were you thinking asking him to teach magic to the Midgardian Sorcerer?"

"Loki's view of magic is unique and deserves to be passed on whether or not you believe the same. Stark know nothing of magic--"

"Which means he should learn from a true master!" Frigga grit her teeth with constrained anger. Frigga frustratingly recalled why the thought never entered her head to ask Fulla first. "Loki does not--"

"I do _not_ care, Fulla!"

Fulla backed off, eyes wide with distress. Her hands were balled into fists as Frigga glared her down, golden magic swirling around the queen. Frigga took a deep breath, closing her eyes as her magic calmed down and melted into the energy around and inside her. "This is my offer for Loki at redemption. Magic is his love, his strength. If he is willing to teach, then he is willing to open up and forgive."

"And if he is not?"

"Then I have nothing left for him." Frigga sat down on her bed, exhausted and annoyed. "If Loki will not teach Stark, then someone else will. Most likely me."

Frigga didn't want to teach Stark. She really wanted Loki to do so. Her style of magic was old fashioned and traditional while Loki's was more unique and modern. It was more suitable for this new day and age. She also wanted to believe in Loki and the possibility of his redemption. The destruction of their magical bond made all hope of Loki saying yes improbable, but not impossible. Loki would come to Frigga himself if he were to change his mind or ask questions.

"Frigga, my queen," the called goddess turned to find Gna and a short bearded mortal in the doorway. "Fulla, you are here as well. I am sorry to interrupt, but I have brought the Midgardian Sorcerer."

"Oh, I have a fancy title of Midgardian Sorcerer up here," Stark grinned, arms crossed against his chest. "Hello, Frigga; It's nice to meet you. Ah, the pretty lady over there must be Fulla. I see the resemblance, even with the black hair. You two are definitely sisters."

"Stark," Frigga nodded toward the man, "you have come early."

He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. Gna here told me you wished to see me before the day is done, so here I am." the male brunette shrugged as he sat down. "On a side note, I'm kinda supposed to be dead right now. Can you explain why I'm not?"

"Dead?" Confusion overrode Frigga's facial features. Stark made a small _oh_ with realization and proceeded to remove his shirt. Frigga shook her head. "No, Stark, there is no need to remove your clothing. You are fine without--"

"No worries, Goldilocks. I just want to show you a little something." Stark winked before completely removing his shirt. Frigga averted her gaze with a cough and Fulla took in a sharp breath with an "ooh" as Gna shook her head with a sigh. "You can now feast your eyes on the beauty that is my chest. Feel free to check out my continuously developing abs or the dead arc reactor that should have killed me. Your choice."

Frigga turned to Stark at the latter half of his words, eyes narrowed at the gray reactor in the man's chest. Didn't Loki mention something about the reactor being blue like the Tesseract?

"When did it die out?" she asked, walking toward the man.

"Only a few minutes ago but in the past months since the invasion, it's been shutting on and off." the mortal rose a careful eyebrow as Frigga tapped at the device. "It's a fancy magnet that keeps shrapnel from my heart. It also powers my Iron Man suit."

The queen closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the energy around her. She could feel a buzz near Stark, an uncontrolled energetic buzz that wanted to burst from its container. Frigga opened her eyes with a slight frown, placing her palm on Stark's reactor. She focused on the hum of her own magic, watching her hand gently glow gold. Magic was attracted to magic, so Stark's magic should break out and be useable whereas before, it was just unlocked and uncontrolled.

Stark took in a sharp breath at that, mouth slightly open as he stared down at Frigga. Frigga could feel Stark's magic beneath his reactor, buzzing ferociously as it reached the surface of his body, his skin. The reactor started to glow white and Stark winced slightly. Frigga pulled away with a smile, standing up with crossed arms.

"What the fuck did you just do, excuse my language." the man was in awe as he pressed his fingers to his glowing arc reactor. "This is amazing, oh my god."

"Your magic has nulled the magnetic and energy properties of the reactor. It has taken the role of the reactor and it now keeps the shrapnel from your heart."

"Does the reactor still carry energy? I mean, it powers my suit. I really need the reactor to work in order for the Iron Man suit to work."

"Your arc reactor no longer carries its original energy. Your magic has exterminated it." Stark paled slightly. "It now carries your magic inside. It is a storage container for it."

"Like a battery." Frigga nodded, pleased with Stark's obvious glee. "This is amazing. Do you think I could power my suit with my magic? After all, magic is a different form of energy."

"I assume you can then." Stark's face lit up like a baby at that. "Right now, your magic is white as is all newly awakened magic. Once it settles into your body, it will change to the color that suits you."

"That suits me?"

"That represents you. Gold is for royalty, red is for strength, green is for intelligence and magic. This applies to Aesir magic."

"There are different types of magic? Like different types of kung-fu."

Frigga did not understand what Stark meant, but she nodded anyway. "Yes, there is Aesir magic and seithr, or Vanir, magic. Like your science, there are different fields within these two types of magic. Medicinal magic, combatant magic, shapeshifting magic, war magic, fertility magic, seer magic, valkyrie magic and much more."

"Damn. That's a lot of magic."

"Yes. Seithr magic has a few fields specific to it, as does Aesir magic. War magic is only applicable with Aesir magic. Fertility magic is only applicable with seithr magic." the queen sat down beside the in-awe mortal. "I called for you today to tell you that you serve me now. You carry the blood of my four goddesses and so you work for me."

"About that," Stark slipped on his shirt with a frown, "I don't work for anyone. I'm my own man. I have people down on Earth waiting for me. I can't live up here like Thor does. Earth's my home."

"I never said you had to live here in Asgard among us. Fulla is my sister and confident, Eir is a valkryie who helps me by deciding who lives during a battle."

Stark scowled. "How does that help you?"

"You have heard of Valhalla, correct?" the mortal nodded. "I rule over Folkvang."

"Folkvang?"

"Half of those who die heroically in battle go to Folkvang, my hall of the viking dead. The other half go to Valhalla, Odin's hall of the viking dead." Frigga perked slightly at a sound but ignored it shortly after. "As I was saying, Gna is my messenger and Hlin is almost exactly like myself."

"What do you mean?"

"We are blood sisters. She took care of Thor and Loki at times when I was busy."

"What are you trying to say by telling me what the four goddesses do for you?"

"You are the Midgardian Sorcerer and you will simply do one thing for me as do my goddesses do one thing for me." Stark raised an eyebrow. "I have not heard of any attacks from Amora or any other villains around the Nine. Thor is busy looking for his brother, so I want you to figure out where these villains are and to protect Midgard from them with your magic."

Before Tony could reply, the doors to Frigga's chambers opened and two women walked in. One was dressed in viking wear, horned helmet in hand as ponytailed blonde hair flowed with her elegant movements. Her bangs were plastered to her head with sweat as she scanned the room with lilac purple eyes. The other one had russet brown hair and vibrant red eyes, dressed in a white gown that ended at her ankles, feet bare on the cold tile floor.

"Eir and Hlin. I assume you have finished visiting the battle." Frigga stood as Eir tossed her helmet to the side, undoing her ponytail. Stark stared at her with wide eyes, quite entranced.

"Yes, I have." the blonde Valkyrie sighed heavily, "I have sent half of them to you, so I recommend giving them a hello." her lilac eyes turned to Stark. "I feel magic from this mortal. Is this the Midgardian Sorcerer?"

"How do you all know I'm the Midgardian Sorcerer? Have you been waiting for my magic to be unlocked or something?"

"The volva of Helheim have predicted the arrival of a Midgardian sorcerer to help stop the upcoming apocalyptic battle known as Ragnarok." Hlin replied softly. "You yourself were not named specifically, but with so much Asgardian blood within you, you were a prospect."

"Are there other people with Asgardian blood?" Frigga nodded. "But I have enough to unlock magic. Damn, I just keep getting more special everyday." the mortal laughed lightly. "I get the basis of Ragnarok and even though I don't work for people, I'll gladly work under your name to help stop Ragnarok." He paused and frowned. "Is Baldr dead? Loki killed him already?"

"In a way. Baldr died of grief after learning of Loki's supposed death. They were the closest after all." Frigga's voice was laced with sorrow. "The villains have fallen off the radar and this also brings suspect to Ragnarok occurring soon. Now that your magic had been awakened by Ginnungagap, Ragnarok is most definitely going to occur."

"Oh." Stark sat back in his chair, a thinking face on. "Well then. If I'm going to help stop Ragnarok or something, I'm gonna need a teacher--wait. Ragnarok can not be stopped. Isn't it inevitable?"

"If it is, then why has it been predicted a Midgardian sorcerer will stop it?" Stark had no answer to that. "Before you mention it, I want you to know that if Loki has not changed his ways by then, you will face him again."

In fact (although Frigga would never mention this to Stark), it was said there would be a battle between two powerful sorcerers midst Ragnarok. This was one reason why she wanted Loki to teach Tony. Perhaps the prophecy was not speaking of a battle between the Midgardian Sorcerer (Stark) and Loki. Maybe it was Stark against Amora. Either way Frigga wanted to make sure Loki was on the Asgardian's side of the battle.

"That's fine. I know he's your son, and no offense, but I want to kick his ass for tossing me out that window." Stark crossed his arms as Eir snorted from the other side of the room. "Hey, he tried to take over my planet and last I heard, that's a no-no. He deserves to pay for that big time, especially since he's broken out of prison and Thor can't find him 'cause their magical connection thingy is broken. Jackass. Hey wait, can you find him with a magical connection thingy?"

Frigga's eyes burned with unshed tears, but she wouldn't let them fall. The sound of the scream echoed in her ears as if it was happening all over again. "Until today, Loki and I were very much in contact. He would not tell me where he was, but we did talk. Our bond has been destroyed now though, so I can no longer contact him."

"Mother!"

At the sound of that familiar voice, Frigga turned to the doors of her chambers, finding a frantic wide-eyed Loki in the doorway. The tears started to fall as she ran toward her estranged son, Loki running toward her as well. He held her close with a muffled sound as she embraced him, sobbing into his armor.

"Loki," she choked out, pulling away to grab his tear-stained face, "I thought you had died. Or even worse . . ."

"No, no, I am not dead." he replied, a small smile on his face. "I am very much alive. I came here to make sure you are alright. I heard a horrible screech and--"

"I know, I know; I felt it too." Frigga smiled widely, caught in the sparkle of the god's green eyes. He felt different. He looked the same (longer hair than she recalled), but when she touched him, she couldn't feel his magic. He felt mortal in a way. "Loki, what has happened to your magic? I no longer feel it."

"Oh yes, well, I--"

"Thor! You told me to tell you when your brother is found. I found him!"

Loki literally pushed Frigga out of the way and snarled, glaring at Stark, who was out of his chair, hands poised to punch. The god's magic suddenly flared around him, green swirling before the group. Frigga concentrated on the feeling of the magic. It felt very different. More calmed and relaxed. Her heart leapt with joy.

Was this it? Had Loki finally changed?

"I thought I told you no," Loki hissed, turning on Frigga with mad eyes, "Why is this mortal man in your chambers?"

"Unlike you, you prick, I was fucking invited!" Frigga sighed as Loki turned back to Stark, walking to the man. "I don't need my suit to give you the ass kicking you deserve."

"Oh really? I'd like to see it then, Stark." the two men were face to face, Stark looking up at the smirking Loki. "You are the Midgardian Sorcerer after all."

"Fuck you!"

Frigga reached out with horror as Tony swung his arm and slapped Loki across the face. Loki's head flew right and at contact, there was a spark of white. A carnal smile crawled onto Loki's lips and Stark himself had a moment of fear in his brown eyes and body language.

"Ah, I see," a crazed laugh spilled from Loki's lips and bled through the room. "I will enjoy killing you, Stark."

"Bring it on, bitch. It's your time to die."

"Stop!"

Both Loki and Tony turned toward the four goddesses who had yelled. Frigga stepped toward the two, anger in her blazing brown eyes. "There is no need for you to fight. I understand you two have your issues, but do not fight!"

"When do I get a teacher so I can learn what I need in order to defeat this guy?" Stark jabbed a thumb in Loki's direction, which obviously angered the god as his green magic flared once more.

"What a coincidence that Loki has come." Stark wrinkled his nose in confusion and Loki's eyes went wide with horror. "I will have Loki be your teacher."

"No." Stark shook his head quickly, making the hand and arm motions as well. "There is no way possible I will learn magic from Loki."

"See? Not even the mortal wants it." Fulla tagged on, which earned a glare from Frigga.

"Frigga, is it a good idea to have Loki teach Stark?" Eir spoke up.

"I never said I would teach the fool, Eir," the black-haired god exclaimed, glaring into Eir's lilac eyes, "I came here for one reason and that was to find out why I could no longer feel Frigga's magic."

Oh, why couldn't Loki just keep calling her mother? Why did he revert back to her first name?

"Also," Loki continued, turning to Frigga with anger, "I will not teach Stark. It is an absurd idea that will not be executed. I can not teach my enemy."

"Why not? Loki, when you were younger, you told me you wished to teach. To spread the love of magic throughout the realms."

"Loki the pilgrim," Stark snorted. Loki glared at him. "No wait, I got it. Loki the Jehovah’s Witness."

That got to Loki for the god lunged for Stark, who jumped away with a chuckle, smirking at the angry god. Frigga watched the interaction between the two and noticed something odd. Every so often, she saw Stark's white arc reactor darken to a barely noticeable paper white pale green. She figured it was a trick of the eye while her son and Stark were arguing, but locking eyes with Hlin and Gna confirmed her suspicions.

Loki _had_ to teach Stark, there was no doubt about it. Loki's magic was making Stark's stronger and more controlled. It also meant that Stark's magic was similar to Loki's magic and fed off it. Their magic was connected, tied together through mystical forces. If so, then Stark needed to learn the way Loki used magic in order to get the most out of his use of it. This wasn't just about giving Loki another chance.

Now, it was about making Stark the best sorcerer he could be before Ragnarok.

"Loki, please," she whispered, staring at the angry yelling god. Loki turned at that, a hard unhappy glare on his face, "Teach Stark. It is necessary for you to do so."

"And why is that?"

"You compliment his magic."

Loki turned to Stark with a raised eyebrow and Stark pulled a disgusted face. They stepped away from each other with obvious dislike and distates. Well, that approach didn't work. If anything, "The Look" would have to come into play.

"Listen to me, Loki," Frigga started softly and warmly, putting a hand on her son's shoulder. He turned to her, unamused and still on edge. The queen narrowed her eyes slightly, not enough to glare, and stared Loki down. "If magic is your love, then I need you to teach it to Stark. This is not about you anymore, understand? Teach Stark your way of magic, Loki."

She smiled softly at Loki, cocking her head to the side gently like he was a child. Her eyes went soft with childish hope and the look on her face oozed _please say yes_ as Loki blinked, a frown marring his features. His lips were pulled in a straight line and he was growing a bit fidgety. Frigga pulled her hand away with a disappointed sigh and a chilling sad smile and turned her back to Loki, walking back to the other goddesses.

"Of course you won't say yes." she said coldly, back still facing the black-haired god. "I understand now, Loki."

"Understand what?" Stark whispered, feeling a bit intrusive.

_Wait for it . . ._

"Fine."

She turned around with a joyful smile, eyes wide with glee. The look of utter disappointment after glorious hope filled with that motherly "I love you" voice always won Thor, Loki, and sometimes Odin, over. The three of them had that in common (never tell Loki): disappointing Frigga was not a good feeling and neither was arguing with her after hearing that voice.

There was another voice she could use, her more angry and commanding one, but she would save that for another day when it was more needed. That voice usually upset Loki even more and she was tired of hearing Loki's yelling.

"Wait, what?" Stark exclaimed, turning to Loki with horror. "Did you just say you're going to teach me?"

"Yes, I did, Stark," Loki grumbled in reply, rolling his eyes, "Do not ask why, just face the fact that I am your teacher now. After all, if I am your teacher, then you will learn how to defeat me. Isn't that what you said you wanted?"

Stark rubbed at his chin with interest and then nodded as if that was his plan all along. Fulla rose her eyebrows, Eir and Hlin smirked, and Gna shook her head with silent laughter.

Finally, the deal was made. Loki had a pupil, Stark would gain control of his magic, and Ragnarok would be stopped.

Now, Frigga just had to make sure Loki didn't agree so he could kill Stark. In her mind, that didn't seem to be to low a crime for Loki to commit.


	4. Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony starts learning about magic and somewhat warms up to Loki. It's a good enough start.

"Hey! Wait up, you!" Tony called, running after Loki who had left the room shortly after agreeing to teach Tony. "Why the hell did you suddenly say yes?"

"It is none of your business, Stark," Loki snapped, still storming away down the empty palace halls. Tony quickly wondered if Loki would be caught walking here without a disguise.

"I think it is my business, Loki." his stern voice made Loki stop and turn toward him. "You're my teacher now and I deserve to know why."

"You feel that you need to know the answer, that you deserve it?" the god's voice was harsh and bitter. "Oh, I can tell you the answer to why I have decided to burden myself with teaching you but that does not mean I will and that does not mean I believe you deserve any answer other than the fact that I had to."

"You _had_ to say yes?" Tony rose an unamused eyebrow as they stood a mere two feet apart from each other in the abandoned hallway. "Can't you just tell me? We're gonna have to spend a lot of time together you know."

"I know this already," Loki's green eyes turned to the floor before staring into Tony's brown ones, "but I would rather see your smug face than Frigga's disappointed one."

Tony completely understood that. He hated when he'd do something that disappointed his mother. The look in her eyes and the sad frown hurt much more than her scolding. Even worse was when Howard looked disappointed at Tony. He much preferred Howard's scolding and being ignored to Howard's disappointment.

Loki turned on his heel and continued forth, Tony jogging to catch up to him (stupid long legs). They walked side by side in silence, Loki's face determined and unchanging. Tony's face on the other hand was full of awe and wonder at the castle before them. It was pure gold, a shimmering shade of gold the color of his Iron Man suit. His first prototype for Mark VII would blend in well with the castle of Asgard. It was a good thing Jarvis recommended adding some red to the suit. Tony wouldn't want to fly around advertising the Oscars.

"How is this teaching schedule going to work out? I have business to take care of on Earth and I am sure as hell that you're still not welcome down there."

Loki sent Tony a sideways glance before turning a corner. "We will have the first lesson today while you are outside of Midgard. Lessons will occur whenever you have the time. I myself am also a busy man."

"Busy congregating with all those other villains?" Loki's face crinkled with confusion at that. "You weren't invited? Ah, Loki the anti-hero, I see."

The older man ignored that last comment with a frown. "All the sp-called villains are in hiding?" Tony nodded and almost rammed into Loki's back as the god stopped walking. "Interesting." the god turned to the shorter man with sharp eyes. "You know just as well as I that I am not welcome in Asgard. Our lessons can not occur here."

"So, what; we're going to your secret witch cave out in the middle of nowhere?" That earned him a glare.

"Caves are not for me, not since--," the green-eyed god cut himself off quickly, gritting his teeth. "I do not trust you one bit, Stark."

"We're on the same page then. I don't trust you either and I doubt I'll have any reason to."

"That is where you are wrong." those green eyes became hard with concern as he stared Tony down. The look made Tony feel small and tiny. "You need to trust what I say in order for you to learn magic. No matter what I ask you to do, do it. It is obvious our previous issues can not interfere with my teaching. I know you are not ready for this, and neither am I, but I need you to forgive me."

"What?" Tony yelled, eyes wide with horror. "That will never happen. I can't forgive you for killing Coulson, for destroying my tower, for invading my home town, my _planet_. That is a pretty unforgivable act, Loki."

"I know," Loki snarled, eyes now hard with anger, "but you need to forget about it. I know it will be hard, but if you are to learn magic, your association with it cannot be negative and influenced by your teacher. This is not a rule that applies to me, it applies to all teachings of magic throughout the realms."

"I can't just _forget_ about it!"

"I'm not asking you to easily do so, but it is necessary."

"I'll never forget about it, Loki, nothing will change that!"

"Stark, I need you to simply _say_ it." Loki's voice was soft and urgent. Tony noticed then that Loki's eyes were flickering left and right, looking for people who might be eavesdropping or peeking in.

"I can't forge but I'll forgive you slightly for now." Tony grumbled, crossing his arms angrily. "I only say that because I need to learn magic and you're the best teacher for me according to the queen around these parts."

"Give me your hand," Loki almost pleaded. The god's eyes were trained to the right.

Tony perked a bit, focusing on the sensory input of his ears to hear slight conversation nearby. He quickly stuck out his hand and Loki grabbed it, pressing the palm of his hand to Tony's three fingers between his pinky and thumb. There was a warm buzzing feeling at contact and Tony felt mildly uncomfortable yet satiated.

"What the hell was that?" he asked gruffly, pulling his hand back as he held it close to his chest.

"It is necessary, Stark; do not test my patience." Loki hissed as he took hold of Tony's hand once more and pressed the mortal's hand to Loki's chest. Tony could feel the god's heartbeat beneath his palm. It was oddly soothing. "I have never done this before but I understand what needs to be done." Tony scowled; great, now he was a test subject. "Do everything I tell you to, understand?" the brunette nodded once. "Tell me you forgive me and the clauses under which you forgive me."

"I forgive you enough to trust you as my teacher, which is honestly as far as I can throw you, so don't get your hopes up, Sensei."

Green spilled from Loki's fingers, which had a strong hold of Tony's wrist. The green magic swirled its way around Tony's arm and up Loki's as well, giving their arms an earthly green glow. Loki's lips were moving slightly, utter words Tony didn't understand at first. Loki's magic tickled his arm a bit as the man focused on the buzz from it.

Wow.

It was beautiful.

A gentle melodic hum rang through his ears as he felt his white magic move on its own accord. His hand started to glow white and Tony's jaw dropped as he felt the energy around him change. He focused on this change within and around himself, listening to the canon melodies that sung in his head.

Loki's eyes narrowed where Tony and he had contact before the god pushed Tony's hand away. The brunette held his hand to his chest suspiciously and then yelped as Loki suddenly gripped his shoulders.

"That was bonding magic."

"Bonding magic?"

"Yes. Like how Thor and I used to have a brother bond and Frigga and I used to have a magic one." green eyes stared down at Tony with intensity. "I have created a basic trust bond of magic between the two of us. Frigga was correct after all; my magic calms yours down and fuels it."

"What is a trust bond? For you info, I know zilch about magic."

"Zilch?"

"Nothing. I know nothing about magic."

"A trust bond is a crude family bond between magic users or teacher and student. It is a contract that in essence states that one trusts the other and vice versa. Teachers and students need it for the law and academic protection purposes. Sorcerers use it to form loose relationships based on fragile trust. It is more of a simple magic contract than an actual bond."

"Can we, like, mind talk like what Frigga and you do?"

"No. This is a teacher-student trust bond. If the bond ever gets closer and more trust is formed, then perhaps so. I have yet to hear of a teacher-student trust bond that allows connection straight to one's magical forces though."

"Oh, well then, that'll never happen." Tony snorted and then stiffened as he heard footsteps. "Uh, I think we should--!"

Tony's speech came to a sudden halt as he was pulled into Loki's chest and suddenly everything went black.

All he could feel was heat and energy all around him. A rainbow of colors and chords of music. Every single note was heart-wrenching and every color sent floods of emotions through him. Every single atom of his body was on fire--in a good way of course. Green consumed his vision and the melody he had heard from Loki's magic started to play. Ground met his feet and Tony was immediately yanked from whatever had just happened and found himself in some sort of house. It was all old-fashioned, straw and wood, brick and clay. Turning, he found Loki on a bed, a black dog at his feet wagging its tail. Turning once more, he spotted a fireplace and a wooden dresser. A coat rack and a rug. A few lit candles and a lantern.

"Is this. . ." Tony turned to face Loki, who was petting the dog's head. "Loki, do you live here?"

"Indeed." the god stood up and so did the dog. "You and your fellow Avengers thought I had left and gone through the Nine terrorizing people. How foolish."

"You took me to your _home_? Your house?" the brunette spun in a circle a couple times. "Why here?"

"I am safe here."

"Not anymore. You're showing your enemy home base, Loki."

"A trust bond goes both ways. There is a reason why I created it before teleporting us here."

"Oh." realization hit Tony like a brick to the head. "I get it. I trust you enough to teach me and you trust me enough to show me your living quarters. Then, what about Frigga? How come you never let her in on your true whereabouts?"

"I did not want to hurt her." the god walked to the fireplace and waved his hand, flames of golden hot fire bursting in the set wood.

"Whoa, what spell is that? I need to learn it."

"It is not a spell." Loki's eyes darkened as he stared at the fire, which flickered between bright shades of orange, red, and yellow, white hot at the tip of each flame. The flames licked the air around them, consuming yet releasing warming heat. "I am a god of fire. This is a part of me. I need no spell for it."

"But how is a fire god also a frost giant?"

Loki turned to Tony with a glare of death, green eyes narrowed with anger. The fire was slightly reflected in his eyes, which sort of frightened Tony more. "Do not mention that, Stark. I am the embodiment of fire and trickery and nothing else matters."

Red-orange flames flickered dangerously at Loki's words. Tony dropped the subject and turned to the dog on the bed. "Who's that? She looks like a dog version of you."

"That is Kyna. We carry an animal bond, I do believe. I have yet to analyze it."

"An animal bond?"

"Yes, a magical bond between two animals or between an animal and its' companion." Loki's eyes softened as he turned to Kyna, who ran to the god excitedly. "She followed me shortly after my arrival here and has been with me ever since."

"Is it like a trust bond?"

"Stronger. We are tied through emotion as well, not just trust. Animal bonds usually develop naturally since most animals can not use magic the way we do."

"Wait, how does it develop naturally if the dog doesn't have magic?"

"We live in a world full of magic. Everyone has it, but not everyone has the power to use it."

"So, I have the power?"

"Only because you have the blood that carries it."

Ah, so the ability to have magic is very much genetic and a very hidden carrier gene, most likely dormant unless otherwise provoked to be expressed. Tony nodded and wondered for a split second about asking Bruce to check his DNA for any newly expressed genes. Kyna then trotted over to Tony with curiosity, disrupting him from his wandering thoughts. She looked up at him with big green eyes as she sat down, head cocked to the side. Tony smiled down at her and Kyna grinned or something and started licking his hand.

"I think she likes me."

"She probably senses my magic all over you."

"Is this a magic scent dog? Like a scent hound, but for magic? If so, that's fucking awesome."

Loki laughed tiredly. "I actually do not know nor do I care. I only suspect she sense my magic because of our bond and because she is used to the feeling of my magic trace."

"Speaking of magic traces why couldn't Frigga feel yours? She told me you broke the bond."

"I may have been angry at her for her proposition but not enough to cut off our bond." the tired looking god's eyes slid half closed as he reached out toward the golden fire. "I know not what happened."

"Okay then. So, why'd you come here? Besides this being the only place you're safe. Actually, where are we?"

"Vanaheim, land of the Vanir gods. Home of seithr magic."

"Frigga briefly mentioned that to me. Aesir magic and seithr magic aren't the only two though, right?"

"Correct. There is Jotun magic, Elven magic, and Muspell magic as well. No Asgardian has learned these magics but Odin, hence being called the Allfather."

"But you're Jotun and so you can use Jotun magic too, right?" the killer death stare Tony received silenced him. "Right. Don't talk about Jotunheim related stuff."

"I plan on having all of your lessons here in my house. Here, my name is Hyrr--"

"Fire. That means fire in English." the black-haired god nodded.

"Yes." Loki gave him a look but turned back to the fire. "Nevertheless, I will teach you in here and here only. This must be kept secret."

"No worries there, it's gonna be secret. I do not want anyone to know I use magic because then I'll have to tell them you're teaching me and then they'll try to kill you and then I won't have a teacher and that's not good."

"I am glad you understand."

Loki threw Tony a quick smile, which Tony returned with ease. Tony then realized he was fraternizing with the enemy. He was actually having a non-threatening conversation with the god who almost killed him. It had to be the bond magic but Loki said it was weak and only used for the law. So, Tony actually liked talking to the guy. He genuinely felt comfortable and relaxed near him.

The brunette wasn't sure how to take that realization.

"What's the first lesson?" the newly discovered sorcerer asked to end the calming silence. "You do have a lesson plan, right?"

"First, you need to learn to control your magic. You have no control since you know not what control even means in this context."

"I know how to focus on my magic. Gna taught me that. She said to focus on the energy around and inside me in order to feel and focus on my magic." Loki furrowed his brow. "What? Is that not it?"

"No," he replied with a sigh, "that is correct. Demonstrate it for me."

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on the energy around and inside him. He could feel the power and the force within him as that hum he first heard earlier with Gna entered his head. The buzzing inside him increased as he focused on the energy outside of him. Tony tried his best to feel that energy and let it mingle with the power emitting from his skin. It was a glorious sensation: sensing the power around him and the force behind it.

The brunette focused on the heat of the energy around him, reaching out to feel it and let the heat from his body alter it. Change it into something new. The man opened his eyes and found a spark of white on his fingertips, glowing white like pure snow or freshly produced paper.

"You did it."

Tony practically screamed at that voice, his wisp of magic extinguishing quickly. When he turned, he was face to face with Loki and oh, that was not good because that scare sent him off balance.

"Uh, excuse me," Tony coughed as he tiptoed toward the bed and sat down, placing the blanket on his lap. "Ah, quick question. Am I supposed to get _hard_ doing this?"

Loki scowled. "To my knowledge absolutely not. I was young and incapable of such a thing when I first learned magic. What I do know is that imbalance of power causes various reactions in people. I usually end up with a changed appearance."

"What are you trying to say?" brown eyes narrowed at a smirking Loki, "Are you saying I have _sex_ magic?"

Loki's eyes laughed though his mouth stayed pressed in a thin line. "Freya has that under her belt. I suspect the color of your magic will be blue."

"Blue? Like my arc reactor and the Tesseract?"

"Yes. Blue stands for power in Asgard. Vast immense power."

Tony rose both his eyebrows. "And how did you come to that conclusion?"

"You have enough power, energy, and heat within and around you to give yourself a sexual reaction." Hot red blush and embarrassment flooded Tony's cheeks against his will and Loki laughed then.

This laugh was different than Tony expected. It was bright, cheerful, and genuine. It rang through the house and Tony found out first hand Loki had one of those laughs that causes everyone around him to smile, laugh as well, or just feel a bundle of warmth in their tummy hearing it. There wasn't an ounce of cynicism, madness, or _I-want-to-kill-you_ to it. Tony kind of liked it.

He snorted when Loki's laughter quieted down. "At least I don't go around changing my appearance when I lose control."

"I actually spit fire now if I lose control. I will never understand how dragons do it."

"Dragons exist?" Loki gave him a look he couldn't quite tell was sarcastic or serious. He motioned to the room to get that look off the other's face and changed the subject. "Since you've been in Vanaheim for who knows how long, do you know seithr magic?"

Before Loki could answer, a knock came from the front door. Loki snapped his fingers and in a wave of green, he was a red-headed shorter version of himself with curly short hair and blue eyes. The god left the room and Tony sat on the bed awkwardly, Kyna staring at him.

"Hey there, Kyna. That's a pretty name, you know." the dog ran to his side, jumping onto the bed eagerly. "Loki's taken good care of you I assume. I don't know why you've got that emotional magic bond with him though. I wouldn't do that if I were you. I've heard all his feels can send an army of girls into sobs. Just warning you."

Kyna licked his cheek a few times for that. "Stop being so sweet; you're gonna make me want to take you with me back home. You have to stay here and watch over Loki for me." the dog pulled away slightly. "You can't expect _me_ to watch over him and make sure he's all fine."

The black dog cocked her head to the right, tail wagging enthusiastically as her eyes brightened. Tony rose an eyebrow but didn't question her response. Loki came back in and slammed the door behind him.

"Do it again. Focus on your magic and bring it out into the open." the god snapped, green eyes glaring at Tony. "Do not sit there looking like the idiot you are; get up and practice."

"What crawled up your ass and died? You're all back to suck-it-you-prick Loki." the man stood as the fire god turned toward his element. "I'll do it, but you have to teach me self control. I'd rather not have a sexual reaction to real power."

"Just do as I say, Stark, and you will learn self-control."

Loki's voice was bitter and cold. Tony scowled, but focused once more, trying not to get so into his magic and the feeling behind it. He focused on the force and power, ignoring all possible gooey erotic feelings. He paid close attention to the raw force, strength, and energy magic contained. He didn't go completely hard, but hey, that was progress.

"Okay, I've got a spark. Now what?"

"Extinguish it and repeat." the raven-haired prince was still staring into the fire.

"What does that have to do with--"

"I said do as I say and trust me with it!" the god yelled, turning to Tony with obvious held back anger. "I will be back."

"No, wait."

Loki looked at the hand on his shoulder before locking eyes with the shorter man. Tony stared into his eyes, watching waves of green seep into those ocean blue orbs and curls of green darken and straighten that curly red hair. Green gave Loki his proper height and danced across his skin as the magic dispersed.

"Stark," he growled, green eyes full of pent up emotion, "What are you--"

"Why are you angry?" Loki's face hardened at the comment. "You can't teach properly if you're pissy."

"Stark, you should stick to your own personal business such as repeating the exercise I gave you."

Tony didn't reply and Loki gently shoved him off before exiting the room. The mortal sorcerer frowned. Something set Loki off and he really wanted to know why.

That would have to wait for later investigation as Tony did not want to struggle with any possible worse reactions to over-energization than a simple hard on.

Repetition of the exercise, here Tony comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy holidays everyone! take care in the next week~


	5. Escalating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony goes back to Asgard for another lesson and learns more about his new powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy holidays!! it’s already almost the end of 2018 wtf....I hope you all have been spending the last few days well~ thank you all for reading!!

Loki returned after Tony made six white sparks. The god simply nodded and teleported Tony to the Bifrost and then Heimdall once more liked to see Stark Tower as the tower of swiss cheese and added another hole to the mix to transport Tony.

"Damn," the brunette groaned, a hand at his head. The Bifrost method of travel was not fun. No wonder why Loki used his teleportation magic all the time. "Hey Jarvis, how long have I been gone?"

"Around five hours, sir. I told Pepper you had gone out for a walk." Tony nodded as he sat down, closing his eyes as he sighed.

"Cool. For the record—or off the record maybe; I don’t want this getting around town—I have a magic teacher now and I'm supposed to go visit him whenever I get the chance." a yawn escaped his lips. "I hate being so elementary at a task. Why is magic so draining?"

"Sir, your arc reactor."

"What?" Tony looked down his shirt at the glowing device. "Oh, yeah, it's white now until my magic settles down into my body. Apparently, my magic is supposed to be blue, which means vast and immense power up in Asgard, but I don't know. I sort of want gold, but that's royalty. I wonder what purple is. Ha, purple magic."

Tony climbed off the couch and strolled down the hall to his lab. While walking, Tony created a few sparks of magic, humming lightly with his steps. He didn't realize what he was humming until he entered his lab and when the realization struck him, he banged his head against the nearest wall with frustration.

Out of all the melodies in the universe, his brain had to make him sing the melody of Loki's magic. A soft smiled formed though at the thought. Tony found it interesting how magic, music, and color were connected. In retrospect though, music was sound waves, which was an energy source in itself. Perhaps the extra energy waves magic created was translated in Tony’s human brain as sound and thus a melody produced. The same could be said for color, probably another interesting manifestion in Tony’s head of whatever his brain couldn’t absorb in it’s purest form. At this realization, Tony’s focus turned back to the differences between his and Loki’s Magic’s. Loki's magic radiated intricate polyrhythmic melodies while his own magic was a soft-toned hum. Loki's magic was an interesting multi-shaded color of green while Tony's magic was a simply glowing white.

He shook his head with a sigh, ridding his mind of Loki. What was up with that god and whoever was at the door? Tony thanked yet inwardly cursed them for their presence. He thanked them for interrupting their bonding session. Tony only needed Loki for learning magic; he wasn't about to be the psycho's friend. On the other hand, he cursed the person for ruining the good mood and vibe of the lesson. Pissed off Loki was not a good teacher or listener.

Tony turned to his latest suit, a red and gold colored one similar to Mark VII. He was thinking of designing a silver one that would be slimmer and fit better on his short frame. If his magic was indeed blue, the suit and arc reactor would be more color coordinated.

Still, Tony wanted his classic red and gold he'd grown so close to. Either way, he would have to design a new suit that would be powered by the magic in the arc reactor rather than the energy of the magnet. It would need some serious calculations and evaluation, but since Tony could conjure magic himself, it shouldn't have to take too long and only a few hours at most.

Three hours later, Tony had finally developed a rough draft of how to power his suit via magic. Since magic was the energy around and inside him, the suit had to absorb the energy around itself as heat. The Iron Man suit would get hot quickly, but while using magic, Tony focused on the energy around inside and around him. Contained in the suit, the only energy around him was the heat the suit carried. By manipulating the power and focusing on the force, he could conjure magic and use it for his repulsors.

The magic inside his arc reactor was pure energy, so he just needed to set his suit to respond to the heat and energy frequencies magic emitted. Simply by feeling magic, the Iron Man suit could awaken and become ready for use. Still, there were a few holes in his solution caused by lack of knowledge. How did one track a magic trace? What _was_ a magic trace anyway? Any old magic couldn't power his suit, it needed to respond to his and his only. Did different types of magic emit different types of energy frequencies? And if so, then did different individuals carry different frequencies?

The man groaned aloud, tossing some papers and a tablet to the side. He would ask Loki the next time they met. Right now, he needed some food and water. Anything to take his mind off his suit and magic.

"There you are!"

Tony turned with a smile as Pepper entered the lab, papers in hand. He gave her a kiss on the cheek once she approached and took the papers from her hands, flipping through them with a hum.

"How did your walk go?" the red head asked, leaning on one of the desks, "And may I ask why there is another hole in the tower?"

"The walk was refreshing and Thor came by again to ask me something about that brother of his," the brunette tossed the papers to the side, still humming.

"Tony Stark taking a refreshing walk? And what song are you humming? You never hum tunes unless--" Pepper quickly stood up fully, arms crossed with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't take a walk did you?"

Tony frowned at her with confusion, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

"What does me humming have to do with not taking a walk?" the brunette turned to his tablet and picked it up, rereading the calculations on the screen.

"You only hum after you get laid, Tony; I know you."

The tablet fell from his hands as he stared at Pepper, mouth gaping wide open with horrified shock. Did Pepper just think he went off and had sex with someone? His mind started wandering; if he was humming after seeing Loki and he usually hums after getting laid but he didn't actually get laid, then . . .

Tony scowled and pushed his thoughts away from wherever they were headed.

"I didn't go off and get laid, trust me, Pepper. I would've called you first." that received a smack to the head.

"You ass. But seriously, what's got you all happy and everything?"

"Nothing much to be honest. You know how I get working on modifications for my suit." the man chuckled lightly, turning his back to Pepper as he straightened some papers.

"You've changed since I left then and it hasn't even been half a year yet. Not even a full two months." Tony wasn't sure how to reply to that comment. They broke up on amicable terms, Tony not wanting to put Pepper in more danger than she ever signed up for with him. He didn't feel much different but he supposed if things were better this way then that was good. "What song were you humming then? I don't think I've heard it before."

"Ah, uh, no you haven't." Tony coughed lightly as he strode across the room, "It's a new single from Beyonce she let me hear the other day."

Pepper rose an eyebrow, but took back the papers Tony had taken from her.

"Whatever you say. Just remember, I'm here for you if you need anything." Tony nodded and turned to watch her leave.

A heavy breath passed through him as her figure disappeared up the stairs. He didn't know why he was so freaked out; it wasn't like she knew anything about Loki's escape or their meeting or the fact that he gets turned on by magic. He then realized he had free time on his hands. There was nothing he had to do, nothing he was going to do, and nothing he wanted to do but learn more about magic so he could finish up designing this new suit. Loki did tell Tony to come by whenever he was free. Loki was so pissed when Tony left earlier but that was a good while ago now. Maybe Loki would be calmer and more willing to teach.

"Hey Heimdall," Tony shouted toward the ceiling, feeling a little stupid yelling at nothing, "Take me to the Bifrost. And please, don't add more holes to my tower. I actually like the only holes in here to be windows."

In a flash of rainbow, Tony was jerked off his feet and before he could process what had happened, he was on his knees trying not to vomit his guts on the Bifrost. Heimdall stood above him with a small smirk. Tony grumbled to himself and promised to ask Loki how the hell to teleport himself because it was going to take a long time before Tony ever got comfortable with Bifrost traveling. The man started walking down the Bifrost toward the gates of Asgard before he was struck with the thought that he didn't know how the hell to get to Vanaheim. He was going to ask Heimdall, but then remembered Loki's whereabouts were supposed to be hidden. If he told Heimdall, the gatekeeper would know where Loki was and tell Odin. Shit would hit the fan in an instant.

Maybe he could ask Frigga how to get to Vanaheim. She already knew Loki was alive but alas she also didn't know Loki's whereabouts and Loki didn't want her to know because he didn't want her to get hurt, whatever that meant. How the hell would he get to Vanaheim?

"Stark?"

Tony quickly turned his head to the side as he searched for the body that should be accompanying that familiar voice. All he saw was Heimdall's back. Was Loki mind talking with him?

"Loki?" he whispered lightly, treading carefully on the Bifrost. "Did you speak to me or am I finally going insane?"

"You are going insane whether or not I speak to you, but yes, I am speaking to you."

"I thought trust bonds didn't enable mind speak."

"Mind speak?" Loki spat, sounding a bit horrified and confused.

"Telepathy. Magic voodoo stuff. Doesn't matter; where are you?" Tony continued to walk across the bridge, still searching for the god.

"Where I usually am. Why are you in Asgard? I thought you were sent down to Midgard a few hours ago."

"I came back, duh."

"Couldn't resist, could you? Stay on the Bifrost; I will be there to retrieve you shortly."

"What?"

Loki didn't reply so Tony suspected the line went dead. Or whatever he should call ending a mind speak conversation.  He hummed to himself before questioning how was Loki able to contact him. Did they have some secret magic bond Loki didn't mention previously? Did Loki cast some spell on him to make him trackable? Was Loki lying about the trust bond?

One thing about suspecting someone of lying was figuring out why they would even lie about it in the first place. What advantage would Loki get by lying about a spell he cast on himself and Tony? Lying about this weird bond magic spell thingy Tony was still a little iffy about. Loki knew he was smart, so it couldn't just be to try to gain trust. It was obvious Loki need to trust Tony as well as he had said so their last meeting.

"Next time you wish to visit, don't call on Heimdall, understand?" Tony turned from looking out into space to find Loki in front of him, a hand on his . . . her hip.

"You," he started, pointing at the god, who was walking to him, "you're a woman."

"Indeed I am, how nice of you to notice, Stark," Loki droned, quite unamused. "No need to flatter me with small chat, you came here for a reason so speak."

Tony couldn't get past the words _Indeed I am_. "Why are you a woman?"

"Does it really matter?" Tony opened his mouth to reply but shut it closed with a glare. It really wasn't important information but he still wanted to know. Loki seemed to read that in his face and chuckled. "Follow me, Stark, so we may speak in private."

Tony ran to catch up with the woman and cocked his head to the side as she stared straight ahead. It was obviously Loki, one could tell by the eyes. Even though his face was softer and feminine, it was still Loki. Tony was oddly comforted by that fact. "Take my hand," Loki reached out a soft long-fingered hand and Tony noticed that her nails were black. He placed his hand in hers and then Loki pulled him close until they were chest to chest. He briefly wondered if it had really been that long since he had sexual relations to be that embarrassed by close quarters contact.

This teleportation was a little different than his previous interactions with this method, probably because Tony could actually use magic rather than just carry it. A soft hum started it all. It was the hum of his magic. Heat pooled in his stomach and a rush of power went through him as he saw swirls of white and silver before his eyes. A nebula like palette of colors flashed in front of him and colored the black canvas he was seeing. White dots sparkled in the distance, bright against the patterned sky. Silver added to the mix, curves and silky dashes dancing around him.

It didn't take long for green to join the mix, slowly darkening the silver to a mellow poison green. The green curled around his limbs, brushing against his skin and then Loki's melody started to play. It was a little different this time for Tony's melody was playing with it. This must be part of what Frigga was talking about when she said their magic complement each other. Despite being two different melodies with different chord changes and all around absolutely different notes, the two together worked. One complemented the other, emphasized different notes and beats and god, the beautiful music produced by this combination was enough to put Tony in tears.

When ground met feet, Tony clung on to the woman beside him, still trying to get his surroundings in focus. Loki chuckled and shoved him off, walking in those stupid black heels to light a fire in the fireplace. It seemed like Loki was no longer angry, so perhaps today would end up being a successful lesson after all.

"So," Tony started, watching Loki sit down in an armchair across the room, legs crossed at the knee, "I came here to ask you about magic traces."

"What about them?"

"I assume everyone has one."

"You assume correctly; everyone does. Mine is hidden, hence why no one has been able to track me." Loki brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Also, no one has been able to track me because they're tracking a trace from a form of magic I am no longer using."

"So, you're not using Aesir magic?" Loki shook her head, a smile on her dark painted lips. "Then what magic are you usin—wait, you do know seithr magic."

"I am no master at it, but I have decided to learn it so I no longer have to rely on Aesir magic. If I don't use Aesir magic, then no one can track me down and after long enough, no one will pursue me."

The look of joy on Loki's face at no one trying to look for her anymore almost saddened Tony.

"Are you teaching me seithr magic?" he asked eagerly. Loki shook her head again. "Why not?"

"Aesir magic will better suit you, trust me on that." green eyes bored into brown. "I am only learning it because it is a necessity. Besides, if any of the Aesir learn that you can use seithr, that will not be good."

"Why not? You use seithr magic and no one seems to complain about it."

"Are you that dense? No one in Asgard knows I know this form of magic and everyone here thinks I am Vanir." Loki's eyes were narrowed slightly at Tony as she sat up a bit. "To the Aesir, magic is weak and the weakest form of magic is seithr magic. In the old days, only certain humans used seithr magic."

"Oh, so it's weak because it's considered human magic. I see." Tony crossed his arms as he sat down on the bed. Kyna jumped onto the bed and sat next to him, her head in his lap. "Well, that still doesn't explain why you—"

"If you are homosexual and mortal, you practice seithr magic. Things may have changed in Midgard for you but  here, that rule still runs it’s course among the people."

Oh.

Loki inspected her fingernails, her right leg swinging at the knee crossed over her left. Tony coughed lightly and placed his hands on Kyna's head. "So," he continued after the silence, "I need to know if different people have different traces."

"Of course we do. It is in our genomes. Each person has their unique magical trace that can be tracked and only tracked with magic alone."

"But, how do you see it? How do you track it and how do you know you're tracking the right person?"

Loki smiled at that, climbing out of her seat with interest. It seemed like Tony had hit a topic that Loki knew lots about. Or at least asked a smart question that wasn't oozing with ignorance.

"Ah, finally a good question," she purred, green eyes staring down at Tony as she paced across the bedroom, "In each of the nine worlds there is an—ah, the closest word in English is a _bank_. It is not a physical entity, more of a metaphysical psi-sensitive depository. Somewhat of a collective hive mind. Every being born with magic has a magical aura about them that is easily seen at birth. This aura is eaten away at by the magic in the realm, something like a circle of life for the energy found in magic." Loki's face turned grime. "If anything, it is the first sign of the truth that one begins to die by being born." She waves a passing hand. "In turn, the bank contains a bit of this magical aura from each child. In order to track someone, you must know their trace."

"And how do you know a trace?"

Brown eyes locked with green. "You have to touch their magic. This is easily done by ‘going’ to the bank. Again, since it is not physical, it can be described as reaching out into the psi energy at the roots of Yggradsil. Family members do not need this for all magic in a family is tied through magic bonds that makes the trace already encoded. Hence my previous bond with Thor and Frigga."

"Answer this then. How can you see someone's trace and then how does it work? You know, tracking it and all."

This was actually kind of interesting to hear about. Good to know for his suit modifications.

"You can not naturally see someone's trace, you can only feel it. It is that lingering sensation after feeling someone's magic and it is automatically kept in your brain like learning someone's name or their facial features. When someone uses their magic, there is a small flare in the back of your head noting that their trace is alive. It is not painful and over time one learns to not be distracted by it and eventually you will create barriers to block onslaught if around many at once. You get used to it when you encounter many sorcerers sorcerers or if you are a guard or something along those lines. The benefit of course is being able to easily track the magic trace without having to go to the Bank. Tracking it is a simple spell I plan on teaching you later once you have your magic under control." Loki smirked as she sat down beside Tony, Kyna crawling into her lap with glee. "Now, give me a few white sparks of your magic, Stark. Show me you have control."

Tony stuck out his hand, palm facing up, and created a spark in his palm, the magic sparkling and bouncing in his hand. Loki took his wrist, her green eyes trained on the white magic. Tony could feel Loki's magic himself, hear that melody softly in the back of his head. His own magic flared at Loki's touch and the god pulled away, pleased.

"It has yet to be a full day since your magic has been awakened and already, you have gained some control." she parted her silky black hair to the side, murmuring a few words under her breath that styled it in a ponytail. "Now, we'll start with a simple spell."

"A tracking spell?"

Loki shook her head. "No, a basic healing spell all sorcerers should, but most don't, know. It is a part of healing magic and the spell is cast differently depending on which form of magic you use. I will tell you how to perform the spell, but I will not do so myself. Doing so will activate my Aesir magic trace."

Tony wordlessly shrugged as Loki let go of his wrist and the magic in his palm dispersed into the air.

"First, you must gather enough magic for your hand to glow. Understand this, Stark: according to Aesir magic, in order for magic to glow, one must concentrate more on the energy around them rather than the energy inside them." Loki stood up and so Tony did the same, "There are certain precise calculations I learned to get the exact amount of magic necessary to make only my hand glow, but that is not necessary for you at this moment. Simply bring out the magic and make it glow. It should encompass your hand naturally. Magic hates to be too far from it's person on it's own accord."

Tony nodded and focused on the heat surrounding him rather than in him. The feeling was different and the energy felt much calmer as he manipulated it. Magic began to ooze from his skin and coat his hand in a thin layer of glowing white just as Loki had said. Tony looked up at Loki who was smiling down at him like a proud teacher.

To ruin the bonding moment again, someone knocked at the door and Loki turned, face hardened with irritation, not anger. She snapped her fingers as she walked toward the front of the house and Tony reached out, grabbing a hold of her arm. He really didn't want her to get pissy again; he was finally learning something and getting good and Loki was enjoying this, too. Tony really did not want to leave so soon.

Of course Tony's brazen nature would cause something to go wrong.

Loki turned down at Tony with a raised eyebrow, her green magic swirling around her body as she tried to change to her Hyrr form. Tony could hear Loki's melody ringing through his head as he touched her and her magic coated him. Loki's eyes suddenly went wide as Tony's magic-coated hand brushed her arm and fire spewed out her mouth and landed on a rug as she coughed, falling onto her knees.

The brunette fell with her, unstable on his feet and Loki pushed him away, waving a hand that made the fire on the rug disappear. She was shaking on the ground, a hand at her chest as Tony sat up, rubbing his head.

"My magic," she muttered, staring at her hands with wide eyes, "it was uncontrolled. I think my Aesir magic was reactivated when you touched me."

"Really? Oh no, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to—" Tony cut himself off at his words.

One, since when did Tony Stark apologize and mean it? And two, why was his voice so high pitched? That's when he noticed the blue eyes and red curly hair donning Loki. Loki was still Lady Loki, but now she was _Lady Hyrr_.

"What happened?" he asked, still unsettled by his voice. "I sound like I'm in my late teens or something."

"Our magic is too intertwined; this is not good," Loki stood up, brushing red hair from her face before straightening her gray dress. "I do not know what exactly happened, but it seems that midst my spell, your magic reacted with mine and now I am stuck in this female form of Hyrr while you are a teenager."

"What."

Loki, or Hyrr to be proper, nodded as she walked to her bed, a little rocky. Kyna padded by with a little whimper, obviously worried for her owner. The red-headed goddess simply collapsed onto the cushion, an elbow over her eyes with defeat. Tony stood up and grumbled at his height. Like he needed to get any shorter. Brushing a hand through his hair, he walked over to Hyrr and sat down beside her.

"So then, anymore lessons?" Hyrr lifted her elbow high enough to send him a watery glare. "Are you crying?"

"Do I look I'm crying? Fire burns a lot coming from my mouth, regardless of if I am a fire god." the woman grumbled before turning on her side, back facing teenage Tony. "You can trek to Bifrost and return home if you wish."

"But I don't wish to." that made Hyrr turn and stare at Tony with curious blue eyes. "I want you to finish teaching me the healing spell before I go. I've got to learn at least one spell today."

"Fine, but do you want to return to Midgard a mere seventeen year old child?"

"Change me back!"

"I don't know how." a small smirk countered that statement and made Tony scowl. Hyrr was just playing with him now, wasn't she? "You will be in this form until the spell wears off, if it ever does."

"Loki, I'm not joking here, get me back in my normal form."

"But you look so cute and innocent without that beard and those wrinkles."

"My face is _not_ wrinkly!"

Hyrr laughed as she reached a hand up to his face and patted his cheek. Tony blushed furiously at the touch, his teenage body responding in a way that he really wished it wouldn't respond in right now. "You are too adorable. Now, coat your hand with your white magic and I will tell you the rest."

Hyrr leaned in toward Tony, eyes slightly hooded as she placed a careful hand on his thigh, which completely turned his face pink. He could feel those fingers dance across his leg and he only had one thought in his head that he really wished he wasn't thinking—god fucking damn it, what in the world was Loki thinking? Did the magic mess up the god's mental health too? Hyrr pulled away with an airy laugh, laying back on her bed. "Come on now, Stark. Bring out the magic, perform the spell, and you'll be able to return to your normal form."

Tony nodded and released his magic, doing what he had done before to cover his hand with the glowing energy. Hyrr sat up, her serious face on. Tony was pleased with that. Until she conjured up a knife out of seemingly nowhere and proceeded to slice his arm off.

(Not really of course.)

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you!" he exclaimed, blood dripping from the injury. Hyrr waved a hand with impatience and the knife disappeared. Tony stared down at the gash, anger boiling in his gut.

"You can not perform a healing spell if you have nothing to heal." she said, unamused. "Now, wave your hand over the gash and the magic will do the rest. It knows when it's person is injured and it will know what to do to heal it."

Tony glared at the blue-eyed woman beside him before hovering his hand over the gash. A ray of white spilled from his hand and covered the wound. Before his eyes, the bleeding stopped and the skin melded together, sealing the gash in a matter of seconds. A pink line appeared where the injury used to be, but that too disappeared shortly after. Tony gaped at his arm and then at Hyrr as she climbed off the bed. He found his eyes tracing her form much too often for it to be good.

"Stand up, Stark; I don't want my spell to somehow wander off onto my bed. Who knows what would happen then." Tony stood up and stepped from the bed, crossing his arms once situated. "Stay still and this will all be over before you know it."

Hyrr waved her hands with a few muttered words and green poured from her fingertips, ten strands of magic melding into one as it approached Tony. He was covered in it and felt his own magic yearn to be released and converse with Loki's own. He kept it in though and it was really hard because the goddess' magic was very attractive for his magic and damn, Frigga was too right about their magic complementing one another.

She did good picking Loki to be his teacher.

"Damn it, Stark," Hyrr panted, face flushed with her eyes squeezed shut. Tony opened eyes he didn't realized he had closed and found her killing off some fire that had obviously been spewed from her mouth. "I do not know what this is. This has never happened to me before."

"You okay there? You're a little sweaty and look a little sick."

Hyrr gave him a look. "I just threw up fire, Stark." the woman started pacing, hands twined behind her back. "For some reason, your magic is unbalancing my own. Perhaps because we are using two different forms of magic. I have never heard of this before, two different forms of magic causing imbalance, but I never thought there would a Midgardian sorcerer either when I was a child. Here I am teaching him."

"You could switch to Aesir magic for a second," the glare sent his way was worthy of killing him, "or not. I could just stay here until the spell wears off. If it ever does."

"I can not risk using Aesir magic, so yes, stay here. I will try to find a way to remove the spell from you in the meantime."

"That's fine with me." Hyrr nodded and started walking out the room when Tony stopped her, "Hey, wait, why aren't you back in your male Loki form?"

"You like this form and it makes it easier to teach when you're drooling and not glaring."

She winked at him before leaving the room and Tony simmered in embarrassment and anger, falling back onto the bed. It actually wasn't that bad hanging out with Loki in the long run. The sorceress allowed him to read some of the spell books she had brought in to try to find out how to turn Tony back to normal. He even learned how to create a hologram of simple shapes like squares and triangles, but that backfired when Hyrr fell off kilter and took Tony with her.

Needless to say, vomitting flames and blood-curdling migraines coupled with unwanted blood down south did not go hand in hand.

Tony didn't know how long it was before Hyrr turned toward him with a soft smile and said, "Your beard is back." Tony reached up to his face and patted his chin with a whoop, jumping off the bed with vigor. The books on his lap fell to the ground but he didn't care as now he was back to normal and he could finally return home.

"Yes! I'm back to normal again!" Hyrr nodded and cast a simple spell, green flowing into her hair and eyes and clothing until Loki was looking at him, dressed in his classic armor. "And you are, too!"

Loki only smiled. "I will transport you to the Bifrost and Heimdall will send you back."

"Wait," he said. Loki turned to him with a raised eyebrow, hand poised for a spell, "Can you teach me the transportation spell? I hate using the Bifrost mode of transportation."

"Teleportation requires an extensive and excessive amount of focus and control of magic. It would not be wise for you to try to use it. Besides, your magic is not fully settled into your body. After all, it is still white and has yet to change—," Loki suddenly cur himself off, a hand at his chest before a snarl formed on his lips and those green eyes hardened dangerously. "Something has happened; the connection is back."

"What connection?"

"My bond with Thor is back."

Tony didn't question it and let Loki grab his arm as the god teleported them to the outskirts away from Heimdall though Tony knew the All-seeing god could tell at least he was close by. The same sensations that happened with the teleportation to Loki's abode occurred on the way over to Bifrost, but instead of white magic, Tony saw blue. He told this to Loki before the god went back to Vanaheim.

"Really? Then your magic has settled down. You are a strong sorcerer, Stark. Rarely does one's magic settle into their body so quickly."

"Well, it wasn't just me. After all, your magic helped calm mine down."

Tony bit his tongue. Since when did Tony not take full credit for something of his if someone told him it was all him?

"I highly doubt anyone has told you this yet but flattery gets you nowhere, Stark." Loki replied bitterly, but the sparkle in his eyes said more. "I'll leave you to your departure. We will speak again soon."

At the mention of speaking, an important point drug itself back to the forefront of Tony's mind. "Before I go, explain how you were able to mind speak with me earlier."

Tony was getting really tired of the dumb looks Loki sent his way. "I tracked your trace and found your magic mind."

"Magic mind?"

"The essence of your magic. With that, I was able to contact you."

"But don't you need a bond to do that? Like a strong bond?"

"We already have one, Stark. Frigga said our magic complements the other's. Your trace has been encoded in my brain from birth. The same applies for you."

"How do you know this?"

"Teleportation." Loki's eyes went downcast. "When I teach you the concept of teleportation, you will understand."

"So, are you saying we're magical soul mates?"

"No, our magic is exactly the _same_ , Stark, not similar, and any magic that is the same is connected." The god looked up with a small sad smile. "It only makes sense."

Before Tony could ask another question, Loki disappeared in the blink of an eye and left him confused as ever. He and Loki had the same magic? Did this mean their traces were the same? If true, then Loki could also use his suit when Tony upgraded it. That only led to the question of why was their magic the same in the first place? What mystical force birthed the two of them with the exact same magic? Was it a part of the plan to make sure Loki taught Tony to be prepared for Ragnarok?

Tony shook his head and walked to Heimdall, who transported him back to Earth. Once home, the man jumped into his bed with a frustrated moan. Why was magic so complicated? He turned onto his back and conjured magic, watching swirls of blue float into the air. He let his fingers dance with the airborne strands, let them form whatever shape was on his mind. The swirls of blue lightened to a bright gray, which darkened to a silver gray. A square formed, then a cube. A sphere and a pyramid. A four story building and then a car. The silhouette of a tiger and then the silhouette of a certain green-eyed god.

The brunette smashed the glowing magic with his fist and turned onto his stomach, face smushed into his pillow. This whole magic business was getting on his nerves. No worries though. Soon enough there would be nothing to be confused about and he would stop Ragnarok and everything will be fine.

"Dude, I thought you'd never come back!" Clint shouted. A headache started to throb in Tony's head as he turned to face the archer. "The Avengers have been called for an important meeting."

"A meeting?" that got Tony to sit up quickly. "Why? Have some villains suddenly attacked?"

While it wasn't exactly a villain suddenly attacking, the news could come along as a close enough similarity. It was Thor telling everyone he could contact Loki once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> until next year~


	6. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gets sick and Tony learns about more than magic through the healing process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year! hope 2019 has been faring well for you all so far~ on to the next chapter !

Tony frowned as he read through a random book down in his lab. To be fair, it wasn’t really a random book. Tony didn’t read often, at least not paper books, but he needed to study these spells Loki had given him as homework. Oh yes, Tony had homework and oh, how he hated it with passion.

It had been two full weeks since the first lesson. Fourteen days of six or more hours per day lessons. Tony went up to Loki daily after midnight and usually didn’t come back to Earth until dawn or a couple hours after. He was learning a lot though from Loki and it was getting much easier for him to get used to the notion of having magic. It was still a new concept but Tony was sure he’d get it down by Ragnarok. In fact, according to Loki, he had complete control of his magic, which made sense because his arc reactor was back to glowing blue.

Over those fourteen days, Tony learned a lot, including how to properly heal, how to animate inanimate objects and how to teleport objects to him that are in his sight. The later was difficult and required lost of magic, but he tried his best because Loki told him it was the first step to learning teleportation spells and he really wanted to start teleporting himself to Vanaheim.

Lucky for Tony, he was no longer using the Bifrost mode of transportation, which meant more getting swallowed by rainbows for him. Instead, Tony would mind speak with Loki, who would then cast a very powerful and very energy-draining spell to teleport Tony over to him. Tony didn’t know how the spell worked, after all, didn’t one need to see the object they’re teleporting? Loki didn’t explain much though when Tony asked about it. He said it was something associated with their magic since their magic traces are exactly the same.

It didn’t really help Tony understand why Loki was able to teleport him over to the god’s house but he didn’t ask for clarification and hadn’t since. The teleportation spell was extremely draining and it tired Loki so much during half the lesson he was usually asleep. So that only made Tony more eager to learn this teleportation spell so at least Loki didn’t have to pass out with exhaustion every lesson. He was learning a lot even with Loki asleep half the time, but he needed to learn _more_. Who knew when the villains would come out of hiding and start Ragnarok. He was supposed to be searching for them as well, figuring out what was going on. He worked under Frigga’s name now. He couldn’t be lazy about this, not when the world was about to end.

Since the end of the world would most likely end in bloodshed, or at least contain a hell of a lot of it even if Tony does stop it, Loki focused a lot on teaching Tony healing and war magics. These two types of magic required copious numbers of formulas for the spells to be cast, so Tony buckled down in his studies to learn as many as he could as quickly as possible. Loki was also prepping Tony to learning teleportation and shapeshifting spells because that type of magic also required a host of formulas and equations. The god was a master in shapeshifting magic and Tony was excited to learn all the tricks and secrets of Loki’s works. Loki was reluctant at first to teach Tony his specialty given that it’s his strength and Loki was a bit iffy about teaching his enemy that strength, but complied since every type of magic would be necessary if Tony wanted to stop Ragnarok.

The mortal sorcerer had memorized a few formulas for healing in the meantime, such as formulas for how to heal certain parts of his body where too much magic would permanently injure or kill him. Tony had asked about healing other people because the formulas for healing those certain parts of the body needed body mass, magical charge (electric charge for humans), and usage of magic statistics and well, he didn’t know everyone’s mass, magical charge, and usage of magic statistics.

“A sorcerer heals only those they need, those they  _must_ heal,” Loki had replied, halfway asleep on his bed, “Because of this, the sorcerer knows these measurements before they head into battle. It is their priority to do so if they wish to save their comrades. I recommend you find the measurements of your fellow Avengers. Who knows when you may need to heal them.”

“Loki,” Tony replied softly, book in hand as Kyna laid down between him and Loki, who had just closed his eyes, “can you tell me your measurements?”

Loki didn’t reply, he had fallen asleep, and Tony didn’t ask again. It was sort of an “in the moment” thing and he still questioned why he even asked. Loki was a sorcerer, he could heal his own damn self. There was no reason whatsoever for him to ask. Knowing those three measurements was an important factor in healing and teleportation magics, but it was also needed for Dark and Blood Magics, two forms Loki only spoke of once.

Blood Magic was exactly what the name says: a form of magic where blood of the caster is very much needed to achieve the desired result. Given the ability to harness magic was carried through DNA and expressed in genes, Tony assumed the direct source of genetic material blood gives allows for a more amplified application of the spells to be cast. This could then be seen as either positive or negative depending on the spell being cast. Dark Magic on the other hand was an extremely painful and tortuous magic used to cause deliberate harm. Both forms were found in every type and every form of magic whether healing magic or seer magic (types of magic), or Aesir and seithr magic (forms of magic).

With those three measurements, one could use the Dark Magic form of healing magic, which Tony could just imagine was very painful and not fun. Those three measurements could easily be used against someone, so it was a huge act of trust in magic wielders' cultures for someone to these measurements to a magic user and _especially_ for a magic user to give his or her measurements to another magic user. It was such an important act of trust the action of doing so deserved a new name. In Asgard, giving someone those three measurements was called _hugr_ and the three measurements themselves were called _elskath_. Tony found the last word weird because in English, that roughly translated to _love_ , but he paid it no mind in the long run. He had bigger things to worry about such as why he asked for Loki’s _elskath_ in the first place.

Was Tony testing Loki’s trust in him by asking for the _elskath_? Did Loki know his? On second thought, the god had to know in order to teleport Tony over. Or was that once more an unexplainable phenomenon cause by their twined magic?

Speaking of twined magic, Tony had noticed something over the past two weeks. Whenever he dabbled with his magic and focused on the feeling, not the force, behind it, it slowly turned silver. He told Loki about it as soon as the color change first happened (coming back to Earth after the miscast spell that turned him seventeen) and Loki snapped at him not to do that.

“Why not?” Tony had asked as a silver gray cube floated between the two of them. Loki grit his teeth angrily, green eyes glaring at Tony.

“Silver is not your natural color; there is something wrong if your magic is colored differently.” the god waved a hand and the magic dispersed, “Remember, focus on the _force_ , not the feeling. Whatever you were doing before was incorrect.”

Tony had nodded and created a new cube that was blue but as soon as he got back down on Earth he created more silver objects. He was absolutely ignoring Loki on the matter but he was pretty sure Loki already knew--when he returned the next day, Loki was scowling and went to sleep much faster than usual--and stopped giving a damn at some point.

Tony found his magic interesting for more than the fact that it was magic and liked to turn silver. On occasion, his magic would even tinge green. Green like the color of Loki’s magic or his eyes. It only tinged green though near Loki and the god summed it up to their duplicate magic and went back to sleep after Tony pointed it out. Everything seemed to sum up to their duplicate magic and the clipped non-explanatory resolutions left a sour feeling in Tony's gut. Either Loki was hiding something or he really didn’t want to put in the work to figure out what was going on with Tony’s magic.

Tony also liked to ponder over Loki’s words after the female Hyrr incident. The whole spiel about teleportation magic explaining their magic and their magic traces being encoded since birth. He didn’t ask any questions about it after the incident and figured he’d ask later once he really started learning these teleportation spells.

Tony sighed as he mindlessly flipped through a couple more pages, his brain filled with formulas and equations built in a different nature than the ones he was used to. Loki had given him quite a few books on magic but he focused on the necessities and the topics he was learning so he could master those first. The books were old and written in Old Norse but Tony understood it somehow just as he understood those files about his parent's heritage. Simply looking at the words, symbols, and runes translated them into English in his head and made sense to him.

While reading a section about the magical capacities of Mjolnir, Tony’s mind wandered to Thor. Ah yes, the big blonde god of thunder. Indeed the bond between Thor and Loki had somehow been reinstated. Thor didn’t know why, Loki didn’t know why, but now they could mind speak once more. Loki was doing everything in his power to ignore Thor despite that fact. Tony had asked why Loki didn’t just destroy the bond again but Loki said something about this bond being different. He didn’t know how to destroy it.

“Before we had a brother bond which was fake given we are not blood brothers and those are formed through biological connection. This bond is different.”

“How so?”

“I know not. I did not create this bond, you can trust me on that, and Thor is incapable of such a thing. It almost seems like an animal bond.”

Tony didn’t question it after that. He hadn’t asked Thor about it either for a couple reasons. One, he didn’t want to get Thor excited because an excited Thor meant enthusiastic repetitive attempts at mind speaking with Loki, which irritated Loki and in turn made Tony’s lesson suck. Two, he would have to leave his lab, which he had been in non-stop for the past few days.

He told his fellow Avengers he was fixing up his suit, when in reality, he hadn’t touched the suit or his new plans in at least ten days. Tony had been focused on magic. It didn’t help that he didn’t arrive on Earth after lessons until after dawn, slept for a few hours and then spent the rest of the day fooling around and memorizing new data until midnight when he’d go back up to Loki and start all over with the learning process.

See any time for hanging out with his colleagues? Neither did he.

Tony supposed that frame of mind convinced the Avengers to send a member down to talk to him and get him out the lab. Who better to use than Bruce Banner.

“Tony,” the previously occupied man looked up from his book with a smile at his name, closing it to place it on the desk, “You're reading a book?”

“Yeah, I decided to take a blast to the past,” Tony chuckled as he spun in his chair, grabbing the other books splayed by his feet, “It’s pretty fun once you get into it.”

“I still read books myself you know.” Bruce adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose as Tony stood up, a pile of books in hand. “I'll be straightforward: we’re all worried about you locking yourself down here. Pepper told us not to worry and bless her heart, but I think something’s going on with you.”

Tony snorted as he placed the Norse books on a shelf. “Nothing is _wrong_ with me." Technically it wasn't wrong for him to use magic if he was born that way. "You all know I lock myself up down here for hours to work and only come up for food. That’s all I’ve been doing recently.”

“You died a couple weeks ago, Tony; we can’t forget that and you shouldn't either.” Tony turned to face Bruce, a frown on his lips. “What are you doing down here that you can’t do upstairs?”

“Work,” the billionaire replied as he grabbed his phone from the work table, looking at the time. Five until midnight. He had to go up to Loki soon. “I’ve got some cleaning up to do down here, so if you can go that’s be great.”

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what you know. You’re hiding something from us, I can tell.” Bruce walked closer to his friend, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re sleeping and I'm really happy that you’re excited about whatever you've discovered.”

“I get it, I know: don’t forget to socialize with you guys.” the brunette nodded impatiently. “The restoration of New York is still on, right? We should go out to a couple of those celebration parties later this week or go help out a bit. DODC won't mind, I'm funding their asses anyway. We have no villains to fight and I’m done chasing cat burglars. There’s no real fight in that.”

“Okay,” the scientist said with a raised eyebrow, “At least tell me how your suit is working.”

“Uh, sure,” Damn, he hadn’t touched his suit in a little while it was probably covered in dust—it wouldn't be, he still polished them every day but the point was that he hadn't really made any major upgrades to his suits in a while. Bruce would know for sure that he hadn’t been working on the suit the instant he turned one on. “You won’t see anything different with it. It’s mostly internal and Jarvis related workings.”

“You can still show me, right?”

Tony froze for half a second as he walked to the cased up suits, “Yeah, of course.” He sent a smile Bruce’s way before feeling a familiar pang in the back of his head. Loki was using magic. Looked like the god wanted to mind speak.

“ _Stark, do not come up today_.”

Tony paused midst opening a suit case, mouth open with shock. “ **What do you mean don’t come up today? You said you were gonna show me how to cast a few destruction spells for warcraft!** ”

“ _Our plans had to be canceled_.” A scowl formed on Tony’s face as he opened the case and turned on the Iron Man suit.

“ **Why? You can at least tell me that.** ”

“ _I am too sick to be able to bring you up here. If I do, I will overpower and possibly die or become comatose_.” Tony rose an unamused eyebrow that confused Bruce.

“ **Send me up there, Loki, you won’t die. And you’re already comatose so you've got little to lose** ,” that earned a growl from Loki, which then morphed into gut-wrenching coughing, “ **Don’t cough on the line; you’re flaring my pity glands**.”

Loki let out a miserable wet huff. " _I have a duty to Frigga to teach you and prepare you for your mission and assignment but I refuse to put my life on the line for it. Especially for you._ ” another cough rang through Tony’s head as the man finally noticed Bruce was talking to him.

“I’m sorry, what?” Tony asked aloud, shaking his head, “I was distracted.”

“I asked you to show me the improvements.”

Oh, Tony had dug himself into a hole this time around. “Yeah, I can do that. Jarvis, show Bruce a couple of the improvements I’ve made.”

“But sir, there are not any—”

“Yes, there are,” he said through gritted teeth, “I told you about them the other day, remember?”

“ _Occupied with Banner_?” the god’s voice was hoarse but full of snark, “ _I am sorry to interrupt you then_.”

“ **No, you’re** **fine**. **I’m coming over to you, even if it means using the Bifrost and wandering through Asgard to get to Vanaheim.** ”

“ _Your dedication to me is heartwarming._ ”

“ **Flattery gets you everywhere, Laufeyson; all I need now is your elskath and we’re set.** ” That wasn’t supposed to be mind spoken to Loki.

“ _You want my_ elskath,” Loki sounded amused but Tony could hear the barely noticeable edge of fright and bitterness in the god’s voice. The fright confused Tony for a moment until he remembered that Loki still thought Tony his enemy.

But then again why would Loki be the slightest afraid of Tony—a puny mortal ant as he liked to call humans during his invasion. Loki could kill him instantly as soon as he has any doubts Tony might kill him if he seriously invades privacy. Tony did have to keep note that Loki was his teacher for two reasons: Frigga wanted it this way and Tony could use this to his advantage to find Loki's biggest weaknesses and take the god down.

As long as Tony didn't forget that everything would work out perfectly for Ragnarok.

“ **Ignore that, I don’t know what I was thinking** ,” the man sighed aloud as he paced through the lab, turning to Bruce, who was chatting with Jarvis about some new feature Tony had added a month back but never shown anyone. “ **Beam me up, Scotty**.”

“ _I would be willing to give it to you but if you wish for me to ignore your request, I can gladly do so._ ”

“Wait, really?”

Bruce turned at that, confusion written all over his face. That was when Tony realized he said that last part out loud. He should really focus on one thing at a time. “Tony, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good, Bruce. Totally fine and dandy; there is absolutely nothing you need to worry about. In fact, since you want me to socialize with everyone else so bad, I’ll come up to say hi real quickly.” Bruce smiled at that.

This was it. This was the moment where Tony would use his magic to create a duplicate of himself and let that do this one singular job while he was up with Loki. “ _I wouldn’t recommend doing so, Stark. You do not have enough skill to cast such a spell_.”

“ **You’re gonna make me actually go up and say hi to them, aren’t you**?”

“ _You know me too well. This will pose a danger._ ”

“ **Danger my ass**.”

“ _After you say hello, I will teleport you here. Consider it your reward for good behavior_.”

The connection ended and by ended it was that Tony could feel Loki's presence and thoughts leave his head more than anything else. The man begrudgingly followed Bruce out of the lab, straightening his shirt to prepare himself for the debriefing from his friends. He really wanted to be up in Vanaheim, but not even Loki would let him go up there until this meeting was done and over with. When they got to the correct floor, everyone turned as Tony and Bruce stepped out the elevator. Pepper smiled and stood up, walking to the two men.

“I knew you’d come up soon enough,” she hugged Tony and motioned for him to sit down between Steve and Thor, “Tell us, what have you been working on that’s keeping you so locked up? Is it your arc reactor?”

“As a matter of fact, it is,” It's a white lie; the arc reactor is fixed, just not in the way the team probably thought it was. Steve smiled happily and Thor patted his back. Natasha nodded with approval and Clint nodded as well, leaning back in his seat as Tony continued on. “I am pretty sure this thing won’t be going out anytime soon. If any villains attack, I’ll be ready to fight them off.”

“That’s great. We were really worried about that,” the blonde super soldier squeezed the inventor’s arm gently in a friendly manner before looking over at Thor, “Thor, have you managed to speak with Loki?”

“No, Rogers, he continues to ignore my approaches,” Tony’s heart clenched at Thor’s defeated voice. It sounded similar enough to Loki’s defeated voice. The timbre Loki himself held whenever he’d just finished mentally--magically--batting away Thor, “I plan on speaking with my mother on this matter soon enough. Her knowledge in magic should help determine how my bond with him has been restored. Perhaps then, we will be able to find Loki and return him to his prison where he belongs.”

“Prison?” Tony echoed, everyone turning to him with mixed expressions, “I mean, if he escaped prison once already why would you place him in it again?”

No one replied to that. Thor eventually spoke up with a slight darkness in his tone. “There is no need to worry, Stark. Odin knows many a way to contain Loki. He will try his best to keep my brother locked down. It is the only way to keep the Nine safe.”

“He hasn’t done anything recently,” Tony really needed to shut his mouth at this point. Here he was defending Loki when a couple weeks back, he was arguing with Thor about having possible interactions with the god. He couldn't allow himself to seem this suspicious. “We shouldn’t focus on him; we should focus on the villains that have suddenly disappeared from the radar.”

“That is why we’re focused on Loki, Tony,” Clint spoke up, blue eyes narrowed at Tony, who was scowling, “He could be the one keeping all the villains back. He could be organizing another way to lead a new attack on Earth. Loki is a smart god which means he’s a dangerous god. Everything he does should be monitored and since we can’t do that, we must expect the worst.”

Tony clenched his jaw a bit before he ran a hand through his ruffled hair, leaning back against the couch. “You’ve got a point there, Legolas, but until he attacks, I don’t believe he’s doing anything other than chilling around in Vanaheim teaching Vanir how to be asses like him.”

“ _Stark, why are you telling them where I am_?”

Tony snorted at Loki’s intruding voice. “ **Like they believe me**.”

“Vanaheim? You know of Vanaheim?” Thor was absolutely astounded. Tony nodded carefully, ignoring Loki’s round of curses that echoed in his head.

“ **Methinks the lady doth protest too much**.”

“I did my research after the invasion like Natasha. He could be in Jotunheim or Alfheim, too. Or in Ginnungagap getting lost. Or he could be dead. Who knows and I don’t really care as long as he doesn't near Earth again.”

“I will communicate with Loki this instant,” Thor announced, closing his eyes as everyone watched him.

“ _Stark, prepare to be thoroughly snapped at when you arrive_ ,” Loki tacked on, “ _I am in no mood to continue batting away Thor. Because of you, that oaf may have earned his conversation with me_.”

“ **I’m not sure whether I should be happy or upset**.”

“ _Be upset Stark because there is no way possible I will cooperate with you during your lesson_.”

A smirk slid onto Tony’s lips as Thor opened his eyes with shock, sitting up against the couch excitedly. “Brother?”

“ **Why is he speaking out loud**?” Tony asked Loki, “ **Does it help make sure you hear him or something**?”

“ _I do not know. He has done so all his life; I believe it is a habit now_.” Loki’s voice was soft and scratchy, “ _I must end my conversation with you in case I blend the two conversations together. Thor will know you and I are in touch and I assure you no good may come of that_.”

“ **Understandable, but when I get to Vanaheim, you have to tell me what you spoke with Thor about.** ”

Loki didn’t reply and simply ended the call. Thor slouched a bit with a frown before perking once more. “Tell me, where are you, Loki? You need to return to Asgard. Brother, I--do no such thing! I know not how we can once more communicate in such a manner, but do not--”

The blonde god deflated pretty quickly after that and Tony assumed Loki hung up on Thor. “What did he say?” Natasha spoke up first, eyes narrowed at Tony before turning to Thor.

“He will not inform me of where he rests and threatens to destroy this bond if I consult Frigga for assistance.” Tony snorted inwardly. Loki couldn’t destroy it so Thor could go yap about his brother problems to Frigga all he wanted. Thor didn’t know that and Tony couldn’t tell him so there was nothing he could do on the matter.

“That was fun,” Tony faked a yawn as he stood up, all eyes on him, “but I have some work to do and some rest to catch. I’ll talk to you all later, right?”

“Sure,” Steve smiled up at the man, “I don’t like it when you hole yourself up like that. None of us do, especially while we have this dilemma with the disappearing villains.”

“I’ll be sure to chat later, you can count on that.”

With those words, Tony walked back down to his lab and grabbed his magic books, smiling at the familiar pang in the back of his head that meant Loki was using his magic. Tony liked this form of teleportation the most out of the ones he’d been a victim of. A soft hum started it all, just like when Lady Loki first teleported him off the Bifrost. It was the hum of his magic and one good thing was that his own song was becoming more intricate as his skills with magic increased. Heat pooled in his stomach like usual and a rush of power went through him as he saw swirls of blue, silver, and green before his eyes. A nebula like palette of colors flashed in front of him and colored the black canvas before him. White dots sparkled in the distance, strikingly bright against the patterned sky. Silver added to the mix, curls and silky dashes dancing around him.

Loki told Tony a little while back that the nebula palette of colors and the white sparkling dots he saw was the magic of Ginnungagap. Ginnungagap was the waters around Earth that kept Earth sheltered from the other worlds. The Midgard Serpent rested in those waters and fed off the magic embedded in the waves, hence why the Bifrost was used to get from Earth to Asgard and back again. During teleportation, one traveled through Ginnungagap and saw the magic in these waters. Ginnungagap was also the empty space between worlds and was the empty space before the worlds were created. It carried the oldest form of magic known to all living beings. Only during teleportation from Asgard to Earth or Earth to Asgard did one see the swirls of other colors, typically the swirls of their own magic.

This form of teleportation was more personal for Tony at least. He could feel the magic of Ginnungagap and listen to the hum of his magic with no interference. With each teleportation, he could hear the complexity of the melody increase and he could feel even more of Ginnungagap press against him. On occasion, he would even feel the swirls of color curl against his skin and send warm soothing shocks through his body. It was calming and enjoyable even though the whole process was extremely short.

Time slowed in Ginnungagap. The teleportation didn’t ever take more than a second, but it felt as if at least thirty seconds had passed while traveling through Ginnungagap. Loki said teleportation from world to world caused that, but teleportation when within one world did not usually include the empty space of Ginnungagap. On Earth though, one would have to travel through the waters of Ginnungagap to reacquaint themselves with the magic found around Earth since Earth is the land of mortal men and does not carry magic.

Tony opened his eyes and found himself in Loki’s home, specifically his bedroom. Kyna ran to him while wagging her tail. She received a pat on the head for her efforts. A fire blazed bright in the fireplace and Tony could smell food from the kitchen. He placed his books on the bedside table and walked to the doorway, leaning against it to watch Loki across the way. The god was cooking something in a pot over a fireplace, probably some hearty stew to combat the weather. Loki heard Tony and turned, a soft smile soon turning into a heavy unforgivable glare once he recognized who was in the doorway.

“I should kill you right where you stand,” the god spat, turning back to his food, “Thor knows there is a possibility I will reply to his communications.”

“You’re welcome,” Tony replied smugly, walking toward the god with a smirk.

Loki rolled his eyes and waved a hand, green seeping into Tony’s clothes, changing them into a thin blue shirt and black pants, black combat boots donning his feet as well. His hair was gelled back slightly, parted to the right, and his beard was trimmed and smooth. Loki did this every lesson in case someone were to come in and interrupt the two. He said if Tony looked Vanir, no one would suspect him of being mortal and human. It seemed like an irrelevant disguise for Tony given no one had interrupted them but once during the lesson with the aged-down Tony situation. Loki never did tell him who was at the door that day. It obviously wasn’t the same person as before though.

“Here,” the green eyed god turned to face Tony, a bowl in hand. They locked eyes, brown against green, before Tony took the bowl, both men averting their gazes, “You are lucky you came at this time or else I wouldn’t be feeding you.”

“Lucky me,” the brunette stood beside Loki awkwardly, watching the god fix himself a bowl. “I thought you were so sick the spell might make you comatose.”

“I am that sick.” green eyes turned to Tony before the god walked to a wooden table, placing the clay bowl on it, “I am actually in bed right now if you really want to see me."

“So, this is a duplicate.”

“More or less.” the duplicate sighed heavily before grabbing the bowl once more with dark green eyes. “Perhaps this is something you should see yourself so you can understand the workings of a sorcerer as Frigga wishes. Follow me, Stark.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he followed Loki to the bedroom he had been in previously. He noticed a bundle on the bed he hadn’t seen before and watched the Loki duplicate kneel beside the bed. The bundle of sheet and covers moved until two green eyes were seen. Those eyes were dull and dark and didn’t send Tony any good vibes. The rest of the fabric uncovered the rest of Loki, who was a pale, sweaty mess of a god that looked too weak to even sit up. He was dressed in a red shirt and thin gray pants, but they all looked too big on him.

“Oh,” Tony gasped, surprised at the sight. Loki, the real Loki that is, laughed as he took the bowl from his duplicate’s hands.

“It is not as bad as it looks. I have released my magic from my body in order to let my body heal.” the god motioned to the Loki duplicate. “This is my magic you are seeing. He is the one who brought you here, but I am the one who cast the spell and engaged in conversation with you when you were back on Midgard.”

“Whoa,” Tony said, staring at Loki’s magic. “So, your magic can take on the physical representation of yourself?”

“Exactly,” Loki sighed heavily as he closed his eyes, soup still in hand. “I am actually more ill without it given magic has been a part of me since my conception, but in order to heal my body, I must let it go but for a moment. Releasing it allows my body to relax so it does not have to exert much energy on keeping it contained and settled. My body can then focus on self repair.”

“You can heal your body by releasing your magic." Loki nodded. "Can anyone just steal your magic and use it?”

“Yes, which is why not many sorcerers know the spell to be able to do so and if they do, they cast it in solitude or when they know they will be safe for a while.” Tony nodded with understanding. “One can also heal their magic by doing the same thing; releasing their magic from their body. It is rare that magic itself will need to be healed, but if it has been manipulated or has been used for Dark or Blood Magics, then the process of healing magic is necessary.”

“How do you heal magic?”

“Magic heals on its own because of the magic in the air in all worlds but Midgard. Ginnungagap is always around us and the magic in Ginnungagap helps restore magic to its former glory.” green eyes barely opened and stared into the fireplace as sweat coated the god’s forehead and plastered black hair to his face, “Damn, even talking aloud is killing me inside.”

“Then shut up,” Tony pointed out, watching Loki sip some of the soup, “You are in no shape or form to do anything. Your magic and I will take care of you right now.”

“Stark.”

“I thought I told you to shut up,” the man crossed his arms before letting out a little sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, “After I eat, all focus is on getting you healthy again. Do not complain, do not speak, and let me do all the work.”

Loki didn’t say anything, but his eyes spoke volumes about the discomfort he felt about being taken care of by Tony. Tony proceeded to attempt to get Loki out of bed, but the god would not budge and glared at the man the whole time. Finally, Loki’s magic decided to join in by knocking the god unconscious, which allowed the two to pick Loki up and place him on the couch in the main room. Once Loki was settled down, Tony replaced all the sheets and blankets on the bed, dressing it properly so Loki would feel more comfortable as he laid down. Loki’s magic brought Loki back into the room and Tony tucked him in, possibly letting his hand linger on Loki’s face too long for it not to be an intimate gesture. Loki’s magic simply raised a smug eyebrow at that as he took the soup bowls and let the room.

“His magic is just like himself,” Tony grumbled as he placed a chair by the head of Loki’s bed. He placed a hand on the god’s forehead and frowned at the heat. Tony didn’t know how the hell to deal with fevers, he would even say perhaps Loki always ran hot given he was a fire god but he was running abnormally hot that it was enough to be concerned about. He couldn’t heal Loki with magic though since he didn’t know the god’s _elskath_. Loki’s magic couldn’t cast spells, so that wouldn’t work.

Maybe he could just heal Loki the way humans do. At least the old fashioned way.

A minute or so later, Tony returned to the bedroom with a basin of cold water and a wet washcloth. He sat down in the chair, folded the washcloth, and gently placed it on Loki’s forehead, hoping that would help a bit. Loki’s magic entered the room and knelt by Loki’s bed, worry in his eyes. “I don’t know what to do," Tony began with gritted teeth and frustration, "I don’t know his _elskath_ so I can’t extinguish the fever.”

“I can give it to you,” Loki’s magic said, eyes trained on Tony, “He said he would anyway and I feel like he would not mind in this situation.”

“No, don’t,” Tony replied, surprising himself and Loki’s magic, “I want him to give it to me, no offense to you. It feels sort of wrong getting it from you, even though you two are sort of one in the same.”

“We are one in the same, too,” the magic motioned to Tony and himself, “Our magic is exactly the same. I can feel it.”

The man stood up, “Yeah, Loki’s told me. Hey, wake him up; maybe I can get him to drink some water at least.”

Loki’s magic nodded and proceeded to wake the sick god as Tony wandered off to the kitchen. He poured two cups of water and entered the room as Loki woke up. “Take this, it’s water,” Tony said, shoving a cup in the god’s face. Loki blinked but took the cup with a barely noticeable thank you, “And keep the washcloth on your face, you need it. It helps cool you down.” Loki nodded as he sipped from the cup, eyes half closed with sleep, “If I had known what this would’ve done to you, I wouldn’t have asked you to do this.”

“No one would’ve known but seers and the volva, Stark. It is but a bump in the road; a minor setback. I have never used so much magic so often repeated before. This is good training for me as well.” the god closed his eyes, cup still in hand. Tony gently took it from the god’s grasp and rewet the washcloth, placing it on Loki’s forehead once more.

“I thought I told you to shut up,” the man mumbled, a soft gentle edge to his voice that slightly surprised him. A smile formed on Loki’s lips at that, “Hey, do you want a story?”

“A story? Who do you think I am, a sickly child?”

“You sort of are one right now.” Tony pointed out as he sat on the chair by the head of Loki’s bed. Green eyes opened and turned to face him with a raised eyebrow, “Alright then, what’s a good one to tell?”

“Hmm, how about Shakespeare? I enjoyed reading his works during my stay on Midgard years ago.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Loki snorted slightly, eyes still trained on Tony, “Ok, uh, which one then?”

“Hamlet.”

“Oh, okay. Let’s see. Well, it starts off with three witches who--”

“That is the wrong play, Stark. I said Hamlet, not Macbeth.”

“Oh, right,” Tony chuckled to himself as Loki rolled his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

“Tell me a story about yourself then since Shakespeare is not your strong suit and talking about yourself is.”

Tony frowned slightly, searching his brain for a good story about his life that wasn’t tainted by Howard or Iron Man. “Okay, well, when I was young, I went to a boarding school. I didn’t really see much of my parents to be honest, but that’s beside the point. Here I was, super genius and all, getting ready for MIT at fourteen. Needless to say, there were a lot of kids who didn’t like me much. One day shortly before my departure, these group of boys tried to play some chemistry trick on me. They switched up formulas in the book and the labels for the ingredients and all sorts of things. I didn’t know until it was too late and the experiment completely exploded in my face.”

Loki let out a small held back chuckle, eyes crinkled slightly with laughter. Tony let out a couple laughs as well. “I looked horrible, absolutely horrible. Trust me, you didn’t want to be there.”

“Oh, but I would. Things like that amuse me. I used to do the same to Thor when we were young and I was just grasping magic.” the god’s eyes glazed over slightly, “I tried to do the same with his friends, but it never worked out. They did not seem to like my tricks the way Thor did. Or the way I thought Thor did.”

Tony’s eyes unconsciously softened as Loki sighed, curling up against himself. The man reached out and removed the towel, soaking it in the basin of cold water before he placed it back on Loki’s forehead. The god let out a content sigh and Tony completely forget that Loki had tried kill him three and a half months back, letting his hand linger on the god’s face. He gently brushed fingers over heated flesh and didn't think twice before letting his next words slip out.

“I’m sorry.”

“You have no reason to be apologetic, Stark.” Loki replied softly, bright green eyes trained on Tony’s brown ones. The man could barely feel Loki’s breath on his fingers as he brushed against the god's cracked lips, “175, 3876-plus, and 400sp per second.”

Shivers ran through his body as Loki's words echoed through the empty air. “What?” Tony airily asked, confusion bleeding through his words as Loki closed his eyes, falling asleep once more. The man turned to Loki’s magic, who was smiling down at the sleeping Loki with a knowing twinkle in his green eyes. “What did he say?”

“ _Hugr_. He gave you his _elskath_ ,” the magic replied happily, “You are the first person outside his family to have his _elskath_.”

“Oh,” Tony murmured with a little chuckle, gently brushing hair from the god’s face. “175 units for body mass, 3876 positive for magical charge and 400 sparks per second for magic usage." Tony rubbed at his chin. "He uses a lot of magic on the regular but it makes sense. It’s highly charged and very powerful, probably volatile too. He would have to use it often unless he wants it to combust and I'm 300% sure Loki's not a piston."

Loki’s magic said no more and left the room in silence. Tony stared down at Loki and let a smile curl onto his lips. “Thank you,” he said before closing his eyes, letting himself feel the force within his magic. His right hand developed a spark in the palm and he let the spark grow until it covered his whole hand in a rich warm glow similar to the glow of his reactor.

He thought of the formula he had learned for healing and inserted Loki’s _elskath_ measurements, solving the solution for the amount of magic necessary to heal Loki’s fever without killing him. The man let magic seep back into his body before five tendrils leaked from his fingers, inching toward the god’s face. Tony felt his magic brush against Loki’s face and was a little startled to not feel Loki’s magic respond to the touch. That’s when he remembered that Loki wasn’t carrying his magic inside his body. The blue of Tony’s magic spread across Loki’s head, making it glow slightly. The sorcerer could barely hear the sound of his magic in his head, but it was there, just a soft gentle hum.

Tony willed his magic to heal Loki, to find the source of the fever and extinguish it with just enough magic to cause no further harm. This was his first time healing someone else, so he hoped he got it right. If he were to kill Loki barely into their lessons good things would surely not happen. Tony calmed himself from the rising panic in his chest and focused on the feeling of his magic, of the force with in it. The blue continued to spread across Loki and in a blink of an eye, it was all gone and Loki was sitting up, panting with a hand to his chest and wide startled green eyes.

Before Tony could even stop himself, he snatched Loki up and took him into a hug, startling the healed god. Once he realized what he was doing, Tony started to pull away, but he felt Loki’s arms wrap around him and instead, he squeezed tighter, burying his face in the god’s neck. “You can stop now, Stark, you’ve healed me I do believe.”

“I know,” Tony smiled happily, pulling away from Loki with glee, “I can’t believe I did it. I can’t believe you _hugr_! I didn’t think you would, but--”

Loki cut Tony off, a hand cupping the mortal sorcerer’s cheek, “I trust you enough.”

Tony sat there in silence, unsure of what to say. The words spilled out his mouth before he could stop himself, “121 units, 1850-plus, and 267sp per second.”

“I know,” Loki said quietly as Tony placed his hand over Loki’s, “I know already from teaching you and helping you figure your _elskath_ out yourself, but I know it is _hugr_ that you wish to express and I thank you for that.”

Tony thanked the gods and every living being in all the nine worlds for letting Freyr come in right then and there because if the King of Vanaheim hadn’t come into the room, Tony was pretty sure he and Loki would’ve been locking lips and he knew he would have done nothing to stop such a thing from occurring. Loki removed his hand from Tony’s face with an irritated growl, more upset that Freyr was there in the first place. Tony himself scooted his chair away from the bed and watched Freyr look at Loki with sad eyes.

“You have exhausted yourself,” the king said, kneeling by Loki’s bed. The god scowled as he climbed out of bed, ignoring Freyr, “I see this is the mortal you had told me about. The one that carries magic.”

“Yes, this is the Midgardian Sorcerer: Anthony Stark.” the green-eyed god introduced Tony to Freyr, “Stark, this is King Freyr of Vanaheim. I will be back; I must retrieve my magic.”

Loki left the two with a look toward Freyr, closing the bedroom door behind him. Freyr turned to Tony with a smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Stark. I had wondered what Loki was doing locked up in his house all day and night. I thank you for healing him.”

“How did you know _I_ healed him? Did you know he was sick?” the king nodded carefully, “Oh. You’re Loki’s seithr magic teacher, right?”

“Indeed I am. I came here to check up on him since he has not visited me in a little while.” Tony slouched slightly in his seat, “No need to feel guilty, Stark; I rather him teach you than learn seithr magic. It seems as if teaching you has healed him more than learning a new form of magic.”

Tony frowned as he sat up in his seat, “I don’t want Loki to be tied to me in that manner. I don’t want to interrupt his teachings, I mean, that’s more important, right?”

“It seems not since he gladly skips them to teach you.” Tony wasn’t sure whether he was blushing or not.

“I almost indirectly killed him, King Freyr. He was almost dead when I came here; he had to separate himself from his magic in order to heal,” the man looked away from the blonde king with dark eyes, “I don’t want that to happen again.”

“I am a strong god, Stark. Once is one time too many,” Tony looked up and smiled slightly at Loki in the doorway, the god dressed in his usual Asgardian armor, “Freyr, you came here for more than just checking up on me. How long have you known of Stark’s visits?”

“Just now. I did not know you were teaching anyone.” Loki scowled as the king stood up from his kneeling position, “I will leave you to your teachings though. It is rude of me to interrupt such happenings.”

Green eyes narrowed at Freyr as the king smirked slightly, walking toward the door. Loki moved out of the doorway, a hand on Freyr’s shoulder, “I will return to you once I am confident in Stark’s abilities. Until then, may we meet again.”

The two gods stared into each other’s eyes and the older one nodded with a pat of Loki’s back before leaving Tony’s sight. Loki watched the blonde man leave with a small smile. Tony spoke up. “So, you’re not confident in my abilities?”

“Of course not. I gave you my _elskath_ , but I still worry and distrust you. The feeling shall pass once I feel more confident in your magic.” the god brushed his hair from his face and cast a spell, which styled it into a ponytail. “I am still ill in essence so I will not perform any magic. For now, you will repeat for me all the formulas I had you memorize our last meeting.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have healed your ass,” Tony grumbled as he grabbed a couple of the books he had placed on the bedside table. Loki laughed his genuine laugh that had become more common as they grew closer. Tony still liked it and told Loki that a week or so back, which made the god stop doing so as best he could.

In fact, after Loki laughed, his face grew a bit red and he glared at Tony as the man opened his books. Tony himself donned a short smile as he flipped through the pages, spotting Loki sit down on his bed beside the chair Tony was sitting in. “Come sit so I can read the book as well, Stark. I need to make sure you are learning this correctly if we want the best results.”

Well, that was a first. Usually Loki would hover over Tony’s shoulder to read the text. It made sense though, Loki’s request. He was sick after all and need to lay down. Tony shrugged nonchalantly and climbed onto the bed, sitting shoulder to shoulder with the god, who was sipping tea from a mug, brow furrowed as he read from the book. Loki completely ignored Tony, which was fine with the man as he read aloud the text, speaking the formulas and equations that accompanied the few pictures.

Tony liked this though, this odd physical closeness with Loki. They had gotten closer emotionally and mentally, but physically, they were still at a stand off. It was sort of weird sitting in bed reading a magic book with the god who had tried to kill him a few months back, but Tony enjoyed it all the same. Loki wouldn’t kill him, not yet at least, and when that time came, Tony would be prepared. He hated to think about the situation this way, especially since he and Loki were sort of becoming friends now, but Tony needed to be prepared for if Loki decided enough was enough and decided to stab him in the back (literally or figuratively).

“That’s good, Stark,” Loki nodded with approval after Tony spoke, “but you ned to be precise with your formulas because if you use the formula for conjuration when you mean to--!”

“What is it?” Tony asked, staring at Loki, who suddenly froze, blank eyes staring ahead at the fireplace.

“It is Thor,” the god whispered, closing his eyes as he placed his fingers on his temples. Loki climbed out of the bed, tossing the book to the side as he paced, arms crossed angrily. “The blasted fool is trying to contact me once more. He seems much stronger than before; no, the bond itself is stronger. Even if I find a way to destroy it, I do not know if my magic will be able to overpower the bond.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing?”

The glare Tony received said not. “I barely have the strength to block him off now. Another attempt and he will manage to get another conversation out of me.”

“Then let him speak. It’s obvious he wants to talk. The bond can’t be destroyed now so why not just let him talk to you? You don’t have to tell him where you are.”

“He can track my trace if he wishes or at least ask Frigga to do so. He will find my seithr magic trace and find me and--” the god gritted his teeth as a growl of frustration escaped from his lips, “Thor can not know where I am. I cannot let him feel my new trace at all.”

“Can he feel your Jotun magic trace?” Loki froze, turning slowly to stare at Tony, eyes narrowed as a snarl formed on his lips.

“Do you think I would casually use that magic?” the god spat angrily, “I have not used it as of recent and I am sure he knows that trace as well." He stopped to think and shook his head. "No, he does not. I used Aesir magic back when I ruled Asgard.”

“So, are you gonna use it?”

Loki grit his teeth together, staring at the wooden floor beneath him. He closed his eyes quickly and then shook his head with resolve. “I must change forms to use it and the Vanir have easy ways to trace a Jotun magic trace. I would be caught immediately.”

“Then speak with Thor. There’s a reason why the bond has come back. Maybe you miss him more than you think.”

Loki gave no vocal response and turned to Tony with an exasperated glare before stepping out of the room. Tony sighed and climbed out of the bed, following Loki to the main room where the god sat down, arms crossed on the table with his chin resting on his arms. The mortal sorcerer stood beside Loki as the god took a few deep breaths, fists clenched on the table. “I will send you home early today, Stark. I will grow weak from sending you back and Thor will be able to contact me.” Green eyes looked up into brown and Tony brushed a strand of hair from the god’s face, “Go get your books and only when you are ready to leave do you come here.”

“I might not come back to you then,” Tony pointed out, turning his back on Loki, who snorted.

“You amuse me, Stark, but hurry your pace. You may want to stay, but I want you gone.”

“Don’t hurt me with such painful words, Loki,” the man teased before he entered the bedroom, not bothering to wait for Loki’s reaction.

He grabbed the books with a bit of disappoint, sad that the lesson had to be cut short. He and Loki did bond a bit more at least, and he did memorize some more formulas during the lesson. It was one of the better lessons for sure. Still, it felt like something was missing. The classic mistake one of them would make that would cause Loki to throw up fire (or for Tony to get a boner, but he liked to ignore that fact). “Alright,” he said, books in hand at Loki’s side. The god looked up and waved a hand, strands of green dressing Tony in his usual clothing.

“I will see you tomorrow, Stark.”

“No, you rest.” the trickster god froze. “Don’t mind speak with me until you know you can teleport me here and not get sicker.”

“That may take months.”

“Then you better make sure it doesn’t.”

Loki’s lips curled into a smirk as he stood up, shaking his head. Tony raised an eyebrow and froze as Loki’s lips brushed his temple, “You truly are something, aren’t you, Stark?”

Before Tony could reply, he was washed in a wave of green and the images of teleportation colored his vision. He could still feel Loki’s lips against the side of his head and he pondered the reasons for such action. Why did Loki do that? Was that the Asgardian way to show friendship or something? No, that couldn’t be it or Thor would be kissing the Avenger’s temples non stop. What was Loki trying to communicate by doing that? Affection?

Tony landed in his lab, wobbly on his feet as the green of Loki’s magic melted into the air, finding its' way back to Loki. The sorcerer placed his books on the nearest table and rushed upstairs, determined to find Thor and listen in on the conversation the god was having with Loki. When his feet passed the last step, he spotted Steve and Thor by the window chatting quietly between themselves as the lights of New York glistened against the black night sky. Tony rose a curious eyebrow but stayed in shadow as Thor perked and turned toward Steve with widened blue eyes.

“He spoke to me,” the blonde god relayed, a smile on his pale lips. Steve mirrored one right back, patting Thor's bare arm. Thor closed his eyes and a small huff slipped from his mouth. “Loki, why is it you choose to speak to me now? What changed your view on the new bond?” Tony could easily imagine Loki’s response to that. He held back a snort so he could stay focused on the one-sided conversation before him. “Sick? Brother, why are you--I will always call you my brother; that will not change. I know, but--why are you protesting? Stop yelling, Loki; you're sick. I want to see you and contact you all the time like this but I would rather do so on your own will and not force you to reply because you don't have the strength to hold me back.”

Thor turned from the window and started walking toward the couch, motioning for Steve to follow him. The blonde captain raised a carefully arched eyebrow, but followed Thor, sitting down beside the god. Thor was seemingly still in conversation with Loki. “Tell me, when will you heal? Months? You must be extremely ill, Loki. You should tell our mother about this then perhaps she will find a way to--" The blonde suddenly hushed. "Hurt her? Why would it harm Mother to tell her of your whereabouts?”

Thor’s eyes suddenly softened, and a small _oh_ slipped from his lips. Steve frowned beside Thor and Tony raised an eyebrow from behind the wall. “Loki, you--” blue eyes turned to Steve with a deflated look. “Loki is mortally ill and the only reason why I am able to talk to him is because he can not hold me back. He refuses to tell me or Frigga where he currently lives since he believes the knowledge will hurt us.”

“I knew it. He’s in on this whole disappearing villains thing.” Steve gritted his teeth as he stood up. “Loki may not be leading it, but he’s definitely in on it and doesn’t want you or his mom in on the mix.”

“He still cares for us enough to wish us away from him.” Tony smiled at the sound of hope in Thor’s voice. Loki wasn’t in on anything, in fact, _Tony_ was the one who was in on the secret Thor. Did Thor even know anything about the whole Midgard Sorcerer prophecy or did only Frigga, Fulla, Gna, Hlin, Eir, Loki, and Tony know?

“Can you ask him what the bad things are?” Thor shook his head. “I’m guessing you won’t contact him while he’s this ill.” Thor nodded his head at that. “It’s fine, I guess. I understand why you wouldn’t but we can’t wait _months_ for more information from Loki. If he’s a part of this villain group up he will attack soon enough. This whole sick thing could be a hoax.”

“It's not,” the god replied with a heavy sternness in his voice, looking up at Steve with narrowed eyes, “I know how Loki behaves when he is sick. I don't have to see him face to face to hear illness in his voice. This is not fake.”

Steve frowned slightly and crossed his arms as Thor stood up with a slouch bleeding with defeat. The blonde soldier watched Thor with sad eyes, the god himself walking in the direction Tony was in. Steve sighed heavily before he stopped Thor in his tracks, his hands grasping the eldeer's arms. “I know he’s your brother and you worry about him like a brother should, but don’t hang yourself up over him, okay? You have people here who care about you and worry for you. We all want Loki locked up, no doubt about it, but--”

“I understand, Rogers,” Thor smiled slightly, placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I understand what you wish to say.”

With that, Thor left the room, completely missing Tony, who was pressed up against the wall in silence, careful not to let the god know he was eavesdropping. Once Thor was out of sight, Tony turned the corner fully and found Steve back by the window.

“Hello there, Captain,” Tony started cheerily. Steve rolled his eyes but turn toward him with a smile. “The view is sort of nice," he continued innocently, "I like pitch blackness and city lights. It’s enjoyable.”

“New York is quite the beautiful sight at night,” Steve hummed before he turned his back to the view in order to give Tony all of his undivided attention. “Thor spoke with Loki and we think Loki’s in on the villain congregation plans.”

_We?_

“No surprise," was Tony's simple response. Steve pursed his lips and Tony gave him further explanation. "Loki is a villain after all; what else should we expect?”

Steve shrugged, eyes catching on the glowing blue magnet in Tony's chest. “Are you sure your arc reactor is okay?”

Tony looked down at the blue device with a smile, feeling the slight hum of his magic in turn. “I’m sure it's okay. I’ve got nothing to worry about on that matter. We just need to be prepared for these villains.”

Tony continued to stare out the window after Steve patted his back and left the room. Loki wasn’t in on the villain mashup, Loki had nothing to do with that. The only thing Loki was focused on was Tony and Tony only. The man smiled slightly at that, pressing his hands against the window. The glass beneath his palms started to glow blue a bit and after a deep breath, it glowed silver, his arc reactor turning sparkly silver as well. Tony felt a pang in the back of his head and chuckled, removing his palms from the cold glass.

“ **I know what you spoke to Thor about. I sort of eavesdropped on the conversation**.”

“ _Why am I not surprised_?”

“ **I thought I told you not to mind speak with me until you know you can teleport me over and not get sick**.”

“ _You did, but I decided not to listen. It seems to be a terribly bad habit I picked up from someone I spend too much time with_.”

Tony laughed aloud at that, a wide pleasured grin on his lips. “ **I’m glad you have enough energy to contact me but you never did tell me why you were able to mind speak with me**.”

“ _I told you already, our magic is identical. I know your magic trace as well as I know my own. Through that connection, that bond, we are able to communicate in such a manner_.”

“ **So we do have another bond besides the trust bond**.”

“ _That I do not know, Stark. I have yet to find anything new about the connection between our magic other than the fact that it is the same_.”

The man traced random shapes on the window pane. “ **Figure it out soon, okay? I like mind speaking with you--I like mind speaking in general, it requires less effort than having to actively open my big mouth, but I want to know why _we_ can when all we share is a trust bond and magic**.”

“ _Perhaps we share more than what meets the eye_.”

Tony froze at that. “ **What is that supposed to mean? Did you do something to me when you kissed me**?”

“ _Kiss you? I never kissed you._ ”

“ **It wasn't a _serious_ kiss, just a little press on my temple before I left**.”

“ _Oh, that_ ,” was it Tony’s imagination or could he hear the blush in Loki’s voice? “ _It did nothing to you or me_.”

“ **So it was just a show of affection**.”

Loki didn’t reply immediately and Tony found his face heating up in the resounding silence. He coughed aloud and stepped away from the window as if somehow touching the window was also him touching Loki. “ _I know not what came over me in that moment; trust me, it won’t happen again_.”

“ **I never said I _didn’t_ want it to happen again**.” What in the world was he saying? “ **I mean, well, it was nice, but not _that_ nice. Nice as a platonic action or something; not romantic at all!**”

The sorcerer laughed at Tony's protests, his voice ringing through Tony’s head like a bell. “ _Regardless of whether you liked that show of personal affection, I am not doing so again_.”

“ **That’s fine. Totally fine**." he hid a sudden burst of emotion he didn't want to analyze behind a chuckle. " **I’m your student after all. Nothing more and nothing less should be expected from our trysts**.”

“ _Exactly_ ,” Loki’s voice sounded too hollow and empty in turn. “ _I must leave you be, Stark; I need my rest. The next time we speak I will be well enough to teleport you over with no addition to my illness_.”

“ **That sounds like a good plan; to not talk until you are feeling better**."

" _You agree_?"

Loki sounded unsure and that made Tony's chest tighten. " **Yeah? Yeah, I do**." he said with more confidence, " **I can study on my own, I'll be fine without you for a couple weeks, Loki. You gave me plenty of homework to review anyway**.”

There was silence on the other end before Loki spoke. “ _Goodnight, Anthony_.”

Tony could hear bitterness in the god’s voice before the conversation ended and he could no longer feel the slight pang of Loki's magic. The man pressed his palms back to the window and looked up at the sky, watching the stars twinkle in the night. A frown marred his lips as Loki’s last words echoed through his head. It wasn't so much the words that stuck to him as much as the emotions they carried. Why was Loki bitter about Tony agreeing to a proposition he originally brought up? The glass glowed blue beneath Tony's hands and he pulled away, blue sparks of magic sparking in his palms.

“What is going on with you?” he whispered into the air, extinguishing the blue magic from his shaking hands. He stared at them and clenched his fists tightly when his mind brought up his adverse reaction to Loki claiming he wouldn't ever get affectionate about Tony again. “Even worse," Tony began, closing his eyes as he faintly remembered the soft press of lips against his temple, "what is going on with me?”


	7. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arguing and more arguing builds a path to the supposedly inevitable. It’s Tony’s time to shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is not abandoned!! omg I’ve been out of it with fic writing / updating in general but here is chapter 7!! 
> 
> reminder: bold is tony and italics is loki

“ _Stark_.”

Tony perked immediately at that familiar voice, surprised to hear it so suddenly through the distracted thoughts in his mind. He quickly sat up in his chair as all the Avengers sat around discussing work over a “family” dinner. Steve and Clint turned toward him with mixed expressions and it didn't take long for all the Avengers were staring at him as a huge smile grew on his face.

“ **You’re back** ,” he replied, not noticing the looks his friends were giving him. “ **Can you bring me up at midnight like usual**?”

“ _I seem to have healed from the worst of the illness_ ,” Loki certainly sounded like it. His voice was no longer as scratchy, “ _Freyr has shown me a few tricks so such illness does not strike me again._ ”

“ **Wonderful**.” Tony finally noticed the looks he was receiving and wondered if he had spoken aloud. He struggled to find an excuse for his suspiciously random behavior. “Thor, has Loki spoken to you recently?”

“ _Stark, I swear to the Norns, if you dare provoke Thor to contact me I_ will _gut your aging body and feed your bloody entrails to Fenrir while I ensure your damned soul lives on in Helheimr_."

“I haven't reached out to contact him. Loki said it would take months before he fully heals so I will wait at least one.” the blonde god nodded with his words, then froze, confusion striking him, “Why is it you ask, Stark?”

“It's not much of a reason but he just popped into my head since we were on the topic of SHIELD training.” Tony shrugged with the half-lie as he relaxed into his seat.

“I will immediately alert you all to any news I receive of my brother when I contact him. Our bond is much stronger now, I highly doubt he will be able to hold me back, even while at full strength.”

More irritated Loki for Tony then.

“That’s great news." he cheered as he spun in his chair with mock excitement. "I absolutely cannot  _wait_ to hear what he’s been up to--holy shit, what are you doing here?”

Everyone turned at Tony’s exclamation, following the man’s trained gaze. Eir stood in the doorway, blonde hair falling in waves down her head as her vibrant purple eyes stared at the gathered Avengers. Thor stood quickly with blue eyes full of joy as he ran to her side, taking the goddess into a big Thor-worthy hug. Eir petulantly protested but hugged the thunder god in return.

“It has been far too long since we have gone to battle together, Thor,” she said calmly once Thor pulled away, “I can almost say I miss your method of fighting. Swinging that hammer of yours around like a toy did wonders to our foes.”

Thor chuckled, ignoring her compliment to ask the important questions. “Why are you here at Stark Tower?” Thor asked, holding her hands in his own. Tony frowned with suspicion himself. Was he supposed to report to Frigga already? Gna would be the one to come down for that, so this had to be more urgent."

“I came to ask you of the whereabouts of your brother.” Tony didn't miss those purple eyes as they gave him a quick glance. “Frigga tells me you have contacted him recently.”

“Yes, I have,” the blonde god was hesitant with his words as he replied. Steve looked between Tony and Thor with raised eyebrows and Natasha crossed her arms as she leaned back in her seat with a thinking frown. “Why did Gna not come here to tell me such a message?" Thor echoed Tony's concerns. "There is something more, correct?”

“Fulla wishes to speak to you.”

Thor paled at that, which startled all the Avengers. Thor paling in such the manner that he did could not be a good sign. Why was Thor so freaked out about seeing Fulla? She was Frigga's sister and that Tony had seen of her, she was pretty nice. Fulla was sending a few extra glares toward Loki when the god arrived during Tony's chat with Frigga, but everyone kinda was at that moment.

Thor composed himself, still eerily pale and his voice a little off as he spoke. "What does Fulla not want my mother to know?" Tony heard it then, the fear of the answer Thor might receive by asking that question.

"I know not, if there is anything at all. You have not been to Asgard in a while, Odinson. Do you not think it would be appropriate to spend more time with your kin and fellow gods and goddesses?" Thor bowed his head with shame and Eir placed a small dainty hand on his shoulder. "You do know that you must report your interactions with your brother to Odin at least. Loki is a criminal and he may be a part of this odd disappearance of our prior enemies. He is of Jotunheim after all; perhaps he is in hiding with them. They have not been on the radar recently."

"Loki would do no such thing, Lady Eir," Thor defended his brother with too much eagerness, blue eyes slightly narrowed at the Viking goddess, "I know my brother well even though I have seen a side of him I wish no one, not even I, would ever have to see. It might be past him for redemption and do not take my words the wrong way either: I want him locked away and out of trouble just as much as you and all of Asgard. That being said, the old Loki is still in there, I know it."

"Try telling that to Fulla," the goddess rolled her eyes before looking over the Avengers, who were mostly gaping in their seats (Natasha excluded). "And these are the brave warriors who stopped your brother, correct?"

"Indeed. Together, we are the Avengers." Thor beamed as he motioned to his friends. Tony waved slightly and Eir nodded in response.

"I thank you for stopping Loki from accomplishing his goal, Avengers. Asgard is very much apologetic for this atrocity."

"It's no biggy," Tony waved a passing hand with a snort, "We're sort of over it now. Well, as long as we don't have to see him again."

Eir brushed a strand of blonde hair from her face as she stared at Tony, who was feeling a bit uncomfortable under her hardened gaze. He wondered if she wanted to talk to him. She knew he was very much in constant contact with Loki. "You are the Merchant of Death, Anthony Edward Stark. Am I correct?"

Tony frowned slightly at the title she spoke, wondering what she was getting at by using it. "You're correct, I'm Anthony Stark, but I don't go by "The Merchant of Death" anymore. I prefer the name Iron Man."

"My apologies then, Iron Man. We thank you graciously for the bomb that destroyed the mother ship of the Chitauri. In fact," and here a twinkle sparked in her eye, "Odin would like to congratulate you for your efforts and your bravery."

"Oh, this is _so_ unfair! I shot that arrow in Loki's face that exploded and made him fall from the sky! Why don't I get any credit?"

"Legolas, stop being a show off." Tony replied, grinning as Clint glared at him, arms crossed with annoyance. He turned back to Eir with calm eyes. "I appreciate the kind words but I think all of us should go. It was a group effort."

"Odin only requires you, Stark."

Eir's voice grew cold and dangerous, her right eye twitching slightly. Tony could feel her magic grow irritated and he shut his mouth before attempting to argue her point. "Fine, it'll be just me. Let's go; we wouldn't want to keep Odin waiting now, would we?"

Tony climbed from his seat and walked to the two Asgardians, Thor watching him with deep suspicion. The mortal man simply sent a smile Thor's way before he was once more treated to the glorious sensations brought by Bifrost teleportation. Once the trio arrived at the Bifrost Thor turned to Tony, who was on his knees trying not to vomit on his shoes. Heimdall smirked down at him as if to teasingly call him weak for not handling the transport.

Thor was extremely concerned, kneeling down to Tony's level. "Are you well, Stark?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He brushed off Thor's help as he clutched at his lurching stomach and climbed to his feet. He mumbled, "I will never get used to this no matter how many fucking times," under his breath and Thor blinked owlishly at the statement.

Before Thor could ask what exactly Tony meant by his statement, Eir spoke up. "Thor, Fulla awaits you in her chambers," the thunder god stiffened and went pale once more, "I will walk Stark to Odin's hall. We will meet to return Stark to Midgard when I come to you, understand? I believe your aunt has much to speak to you about."

"Aunt Fulla," Thor groaned, obviously not looking forward to this meeting. It rang a few bells in Tony's head but he ignored them. He could ask Eir for more info or even Loki if necessary.

Once Thor was past the gates of Asgard, Eir turned on Tony with bright purple eyes and the most joyous look Tony had ever seen on her face. "What is going on?" he asked, completely confused about her sudden mood shift. He was only thrown into more confusion as the goddess hugged him.

"I heard about you and Loki from Freyr. Gna and Hlin know as well." Eir pulled away, holding the man by his shoulders. "You are learning so well, at this rate you can start searching for the missing villains and figure out what is happening. Ragnarok approaches and we must be prepared for it."

"Quick question, does Loki know that Baldr is dead and that Ragnarok is coming?" the goddess shook her head as they walked toward the gates of Asgard, "So, he has no idea that he is training me for Ragnarok."

"None at all and he will not know, understand?"

"Why _can't_ he know? The Midgardian Sorcerer is a legend; he told me himself that he thought a Midgardian Sorcerer was a story told to him when he was younger."

"Yes, there are mentions of a Midgardian Sorcerer in many tales throughout Asgard. We have only told you of the one of Ragnarok." Tony grinned to himself as they passed through the gates, walking down the cobblestoned streets of Asgard, "Loki may tell you more if you wish. He was very interested in such a thing as a little boy. He has always been interested in magic."

"Loki interested in the Midgardian Sorcerer." the man nodded with acceptance. "I will have to ask him to share some stories. Give me a sec."

Eir turned to Tony with a raised eyebrow as the man ceased walking and focused on his magic. He had never been the one to start a mind speak conversation and he was sort of excited to see what would happen. Loki never told him how to do it and he never asked since he never expected to speak with Loki outside of the lessons.

Tony closed his eyes as he felt the buzzing energy of his magic inside and around him. He thought about Loki's magic, recalled that beautiful melodic hum and sang it lightly under his breath. He recalled those gentle swirls of green and that soft feeling of Loki's magic against his skin. He could almost imagine it right next him as the god showed him another spell for healing, another spell to create destruction. Those warm hands against his own, that hot breath against his ear. That moment where they _hugr_ and--

"Stark,"

That sounded startingly close. Even closer than Loki being in his head.

" **Loki** ," he replied, opening his eyes slightly. Eir was in front of him with an unamused look on her face, arms crossed with slight annoyance. "What are you looking at me like that for? I was mind speaking, thank you very much."

"No, thank you very much, Stark, for not knowing the difference between the telepathy you foolishly call mind speak and teleporting people across _realms_." 

Tony turned around and found himself face to face with an irritated Loki, a spoon in his right hand as he donned a red shirt and gray pants along with his classic black boots and his long leather jacket. Those green eyes were flaming with anger and spoke volumes at how pissed Loki was. Tony took a step back warily, plastering on a fake smile.

"That wasn't supposed to happen." Eir snorted and continued on her way, leaving an angry (possibly homicidal) Loki and a confused Tony in the middle of town. "And do you have a glamour because I'm pretty sure if anyone sees you, you'll be locked up again."

"Yes, I have a glamour, but that is beside the point. You _teleported_ me here." Loki growled, pointing his spoon at Tony in a manner that made the wooden utensil seem extremely dangerous despite being the bluntest weapon in the Nine. "Trust me, I would not be here in Asgard if it was by my own will."

It was interesting how Loki tossed the phrase "trust me" so easily around Tony. Tony doubted Loki used that phrase so much with Thor even before the thunder god got banished to Earth. Was Loki vying that hard for Tony's trust or was the god so confident he had it that he used the phrase meaninglessly and just for emphasis?

"Teleport? I just thought about your magic." No way would he tell Loki he also thought of Loki _beyond_ his magic. "I was trying to mind speak to ask you about the legends of the Midgardian Sorcerer."

"Do _not_ mess with my magic again, Stark," the god hissed before taking a deep breath, closing his green eyes in the process. "You are lucky you were in Asgard when you pulled that trick. If you were back on Midgard, you most certainly would have found yourself dead."

"Dead?" Tony was suddenly glad he never acted on his impulses to start up a mind speak conversation with Loki. "Why?"

"The magic of Ginnungagap is weak around Midgard. It feeds on the magic of the nearby world and Midgard carries none. Therefore, it takes more magic to travel from Midgard to a different world, verses traveling from Asgard to Vanaheim. That is also the reason why teleportation on Midgard to another spot on Midgard causes one to see Ginnungagap." Loki was fully invested in his explanation, eyes twinkling with pleasure as he spoke to Tony. Tony smiled warmly; he liked that he could do that to Loki. "When a sorcerer is on Midgard, his magic weakens. One's magic also feeds on the magic of Ginnungagap. Teleportation allows the sorcerer to reacquaint himself with the pure magic found in Ginnungagap, strengthening his own and healing it if necessary. Hence why it feels like teleportation takes a long time. When you see those swirls of color, it is your magic reacquainting itself with pure magic."

"Magic can deteriorate?"

"Only on Midgard." the god's eyes glazed over as if remembering something. Loki shook his head though and sighed, "You would have died because of the magic necessary to teleport me over. Your magic is weak from being away from a magical world such as Vanaheim for so long. With no Ginnungagap to self-heal or strengthen it, your magic would have killed you since your magical charge and magic usage is quite low for the amount needed to perform such a task on Midgard."

"Damn," Tony said softly, not feeling too fuzzy anymore. Loki laughed lightly, a semi-rare genuine laugh, and immediately scowled after, turning from Tony as he stormed down the road. "Where are you going?"

"I am going to see Frigga since we are here. It is about time I report your progress to her." Loki paused in his steps and turned as Tony ran after him. "Do not try such a thing as teleporting me again, understand? You cannot die before I teach you what you wish to know."

"And what is it I wish to know?"

A smirk crawled onto Loki's lips before he looked away and continued walking. "A way to defeat me."

"What?" Tony was surprised at how hollow his voice was. He had completely forgotten that he had agreed to this crazy deal because he wanted a way to defeat Loki if the god joined up with the rogue villains for Ragnarok.

Somehow through all this mess he had thought that Loki being his teacher meant the god wasn't going to be on the opposing side, but Loki just made it clear he taught Tony with the intent of battling the man and being defeated.

"Loki." the man stopped the sorcerer in his tracks. "Do you _want_ me to kill you?"

"Do you _want_ to kill me?"

"That's not the question here." Tony's sigh was edged with irritation. "Do you want me to be the one who kills you in the end?"

Loki's face grew curious. "In the end?"

Hopefully Loki didn't connect Tony's statement with Ragnarok.

"Say we get in a battle and I have the option to kill you. Do you want to teach me to be prepared for that situation?"

"Do you want to learn how to survive in that situation if it is to occur?" Loki's green eyes darkened as he continued on. "I am teaching you for Frigga and the mission she has for you. If the mission includes killing me, then I will teach you how to do so. My death by your hands was a part of the deal."

"Not anymore! I mean, I never truly wanted you dead in the first place, just locked up and away from human society." Tony averted his eyes from Loki's as he spoke, "While it's nice to get you biggest weakness out of you firsthand, I don't want it to kill you."

"Then why did you agree to the deal in the first place if we are enemies, Stark?"

Tony turned back to the god with a scowl. "We are _not_ enemies no matter how much you like to tell yourself otherwise. You know what we have is no longer a obligatory pact forced on us in order for me to learn magic." A threatening finger stared Loki's in the face as the man glared up at the god before him, "Damn me if I say it, but we might even be _friends_ at this point. You seemed pretty willing to shower me with your affections last we met."

Loki's eyes turned steel cold and angry as he looked down at Tony, a snarl on his lips. "I did _not_ shower you with my affections, Stark. I was weak and vulnerable. You took advantage of that."

" _Me_? I took advantage of you being sick? I healed your ass, may have possibly saved it as well! I have no need to take advantage of anything you have to offer, which, by the way, hasn't been much but your knowledge of magic!"

"If you claim us to be friends like you do, then I have offered my friendship to you as well!"

They were yelling now, Tony almost on his toes as he yelled in Loki's face, fists clenched angrily at his sides. Could this be considered their first fight? "Oh yeah sure, Loki offered up his friendship to me. You don't even think us as friends, so don't go around shoving that in my face! You are my teacher and I am your student and that is all we are ever going to be to each other so get over yourself!"

"Get over myself?" Loki exclaimed, a horrified look on his face that blended into manic laughter too easily. "You're the one who proposed us no longer being enemies, proposed us being friends. I am completing one job here and that is all I will do.. Once I have taught you what you require to accomplish your goal, I will be on my way and away from _you_."

"My goal is not what you think it is. I've changed and so have you." Tony started, toning his voice down a bit once he spotted a few people staring at the two with raised eyebrows. "You're not teaching me for your own benefit, whatever twisted one it may be, and you're not teaching just for Frigga's sake. This is even bigger than me being the Midgardian Sorcerer."

"I don't give a damn that I'm teaching a legend I thought untrue. This has never been for me, Stark!" Loki's voice cracked on the last word and it almost made Tony back off, "I may be self-centered, but not as much as you present yourself as. If this were for me, you would not be my student. Yet here we stand in a universe where you are my student and I begrudgingly teach you. Do not let yourself forget that."

"Sorry I forgot; it's hard not to when I see you actually enjoying yourself every fucking lesson!"

"I am not!"

"Maybe not the first two lessons, but don't lie and say you haven't been enjoying this. Don't lie to me and say you haven't had fun teaching someone, even if is your, quote unquote, enemy. Teaching is your love, is it not? I recall Frigga saying something about you wanting to teach the Nine Worlds of magic." Loki growled at that last part, which made Tony smirk. Pride blew up his chest and he stepped forward further into Loki's personal space bubble. "You _love_ teaching me. You can't deny that."

"I love teaching but I do not love teaching you." Loki spat out the last word with venom and careful articulation. His last phrase was tainted with lack of conviction as if he didn't really believe that he didn't love teaching Tony. "I will never be able to do so, not even with the discoveries of our magic and our connection."

"Why can't you do that?"

Loki's eyes hardened their gaze on Tony before closing to block Tony out of Loki's eyesight. Loki he turned his head sideways a bit, bottom lip clenched between his teeth. "My fate in Ragnarok tells me why," he starts, a wash of quiet consuming the town square. Tony wasn't sure if it was actual silence but he didn't want to interrupt Loki while he was willing to talk. "I was born to lead the final battle of Asgard. Odin and Frigga think I know nothing about this, but I do. It is fitting; a frost giant leading an army of frost giants and Helheim dead to defeat Asgard. They say Heimdall will kill me."

 _Loki knew._ He at least knew what his role in Ragnarok was. Then back when Tony asked about killing Loki in the end, was the god wondering if Tony would help him escape his fate? If not, Tony didn't care. He wanted Loki to know that didn't matter at all.

"Ragnarok can be stopped." Tony whispered lightly, watching Loki shake his head in a defeated manner.

"Once Baldr falls it all begins, Stark. I know how to kill him, they say I am to kill him as well, but he is my brother, the one brother who was truly close to me; I can't ever kill him and I won't!"

Horrible, horrible feelings of guilt and horror and ever single disgusting emotion possible ran through Tony at Loki's words. Loki didn't know Baldr was dead. Loki didn't know he killed Baldr. Loki was truly ignorant of Ragnarok and its happenings. And Frigga and Gna and Hlin and Fulla and Eir knew that. Were they ever going to tell him? Did they really think they could hide it since they thought he didn't know of his fate in Ragnarok?

"Ragnarok can be stopped, Loki. You can feel free to love anything you want. You won't be betraying anyone because it won't happen."

Loki opened his eyes, dark and wet with unshed tears. "Stark, Ragnarok is inevitable."

"Not since I'm here." the look of utter shock on Loki's face made Tony grin and continue even as he heard Eir's reminder in the back of his head. "I can stop it. That's what I'm here to do. That's why you're teaching me. I need your help to do this so you won't have to betray those you love."

"Stop spewing lies; I don't know what Thor has drilled into your head about--"

Loki was cut off as Tony grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pressed their foreheads together. "I'm speaking the truth, Loki. That is why Frigga wanted you to teach me so bad. She wants you to stop Ragnarok, Loki. Only you can."

"No," the god muttered, pulling away from Tony, "No, what did I do?"

"What?" Tony crinkled his brow as he grew confused and Loki stepped away from him, shaking his head with horror.

"How did he die? How did I kill him?"

Loki's cry of anguish almost brought tears to Tony's eyes as he reached out for the god who shook his head one last time before leaving in a swirl of green. Tony grit his teeth and quickly acknowledged that pang he felt in the back of his head at Loki's departure, feeling a rush of bottled up emotion that saddened him more.

" **Loki** ,"

" _Leave me be, Stark_."

" **Now is not the time for one of your legendary tantrums; we need to report to Frigga**."

" _Go by yourself, Stark; I am in no mood to see you or anyone else. Also, Thor is here in Asgard, I can feel it_."

Tony groaned aloud. " **I don't know how to get there**."

" _You truly are an idiot. There is a large golden palace up ahead. Walk yourself toward it and ask a guard for further directions_."

Tony sighed as he walked toward the golden palace. " **Look, I'm sorry about Baldr and all, but I'm serious here, Loki. You can't shut me off now, not when we've**. . ."

" _Not when we have what_?"

Tony continued his silence for a little while longer before he spoke, " **Not when we've made improvement to my magic skills. We made a trust bond, Loki, a teacher-student trust bond. I know it's a weak bond compared to others, but we've changed that. I mean, c'mon, we're mind speaking and just a moment ago, I felt your emotions!** "

" _Oh._ " Loki whispered lightly. " _This cannot be happening_."

" **What can't be happening? Loki, speak to me!** "

" _This no longer pertains to our duplicate magic, Stark. This is more. There is no more teacher-student bond. We destroyed that long ago it seems._ "

" **Destroyed it?** "

" _Something has changed the bond between us. Something between us has happened, I am not sure what, but we are emotionally bonded. Trust between us is a given now_."

Tony's world fell out from under him as he stopped in his tracks. He could barely breathe, everything was startlingly numb. His eyes went slightly out of focus and a choked noise sputtered out of his mouth. His hands were shaking and his breath was rough and shaky once he remembered to start breathing again. It had been three weeks since the high point of Loki's illness. It was three weeks Tony spent contemplating what was happening between him and Loki. He had yet to come up with an answer but now, in that moment after Loki's words, he knew why.

"I want more than trust from you," he whispered aloud, "I want more than trust and simple friendship but what more can you give?"

_Love._

"Oh hell no," Tony exclaimed, shaking his head quickly as he felt the blood rush from his head as the shock of the thought stunned him. No way possible was he wanting Loki's love. " **What type of bond is this?** "

" _A form of a friendship bond, but more intimate_." Tony choked. " _I would rather not phrase it this way but I know not how to translate it exactly into English. The closest term I can ascertain is crude lover's bond_."

" **You best be getting your bonds wrong.** "

" _As I've explained before, bond magic is not my area of expertise and I will need to analyze it more, but at first glance, we have a crude lover's bond_."

Tony's words came to him before he could think about what they meant. " **Destroy it.** "

" _I cannot find the source of the change which I need in order to do as you ask. The only reason why I cannot find this is because I am not the one who broke the teacher-student bond_."

Tony's heart skipped a beat at those words. " **I didn't do that. I don't know how to create a bond, let alone break a bond. How do you even know I was the one who broke the bond?** "

" _Your magic trace says so. I can not find the source of it to sever the bond so you will have to do so yourself._ "

 **"Were you not listening when I said I don't know how the hell to break a bond?** "

Loki went silent before an affirmative hum rang through Tony's head. " _Go to Frigga and destroy the_ _bond_." the god's voice was heavily detached and solemn. Tony didn't understand the change in his demeanor but decided against questioning it as Loki continued on. _"I wish not to hear from you until then and do not teleport me over or I will kill you_."

" **Alright, alright; I'll chat with Frigga, inform her of what's going and then you have to teleport me to your place for a lesson.** "

Loki agreed with a curt goodbye and ended the call as Tony reached the palace gates and received entrance. He asked a guard where Frigga's chambers were and the new guard ended up being a guard who was more than competent at his job because he immediately went into defense mode and tried to kick Tony's ass back to Midgard.

"Hey, hey, hold up, I know her!" Tony exclaimed as the guard pointed his spear at Tony's arc reactor. "We're good friends; I fight in an alliance with her son." The spear flinched against the glass of the arc reactor. "Her eldest is Thor, the golden haired prince with the hammer?"

"You are friend in arms with Prince Thor?" the guard lowered his weapon and Tony sighed.

"Yes and I'm supposed to report to Frigga about some important business and stuff about things happening on Earth." the guard crinkled his brow on the last word and Tony rolled his eyes. "Midgard. I live there."

"A mortal here in Asgard?"

"Yes, now can you please just--"

"Friend Anthony!"

 _Oh great_. Tony turned with a smile as Thor came bounding down the hall, a woman with thick wavy black hair by his side. The goddess had on a scowl and her blue eyes were narrowed dangerously at Tony. Ah, Fulla, Frigga's sister. "Thor, Fulla! How nice it is to see you two!"

"Have you spoken with the All-Father yet?" Thor asked once he approached the brunette, who shook his head.

"I'm just on my way over. Eir disappeared so I had to wander my way here."

"Mortal, you asked me about Frigga's--" Tony nudged the guard with gritted teeth, causing the man to shut up.

"Eir told me she would bring you here." Fulla said, arms crossed against her chest. She was donned in Viking wear like Eir was. Huh, was Fulla a warrior too? All Frigga told him was that Fulla was her sister.

"News travels fast, huh?" Tony chuckled lightly, but Fulla was not amused. "So can you take me to Odin? I'd hate to be here any longer than necessary; my friends are all jealous of the honor I have to meet Odin and they're probably waiting for me back on Earth."

"I will take you to Odin." the black-haired goddess turned to Thor, who immediately stiffened, "Thor, we have spoken and you may return to Midgard as you please. I will send Stark down once Odin has finished speaking with him."

Thor opened his mouth to protest, probably say something about Eir having said earlier that she wanted Thor and Tony to return to Midgard together, but he shut his mouth quickly and nodded before leaving the guard, Fulla, and Tony in the hallway.

"Lady Fulla," the guard said as he bowed down to her.

"Get on your feet and let no one know that you have seen this mortal here." the guard did as told and so Fulla took Tony's arm and lead him away. "You were not called for, Stark."

"Eir told me Odin wished to speak." the mortal sorcerer replied, a little confused. "Since I'm here I decided to report to Frigga. It's been over a month since I've seen her, almost two. I think she deserves to know how I've been improving."

Fulla growled slightly before stopping Tony in his tracks, turning to face him. "Frigga consults me when she is to make a decision. I have helped her with the biggest decisions of her life, but this brash decision of letting you be taught by that Jotun son of hers is the worst one yet."

"What?"

"Do _not_ disappoint, Stark. You have one job and that is to stop Ragnarok. Do not let anything else get in the way of that." Fulla spat angrily, blue eyes narrowed at Tony. He felt incredibly small and suddenly understood why Thor acted the way he did near or at the mention of her.

Despite this, Tony steeled himself and stoned his face as he replied. "I've been learning from Loki like she wanted me to; my magic is stable, Loki says I learn quickly. "

"I do not care what Loki has to say about your skills with magic; his opinion is of no concern to me." Tony would have protested but she had good reason to ignore Loki as much as Tony given Loki's opinions drove him to invade a foreign realm. "I do have my concerns about your opinion toward him."

Tony's stance straightened at that comment, a sharp jab of fear striking his chest. " _My_ opinion toward him?"

"Do not let Loki get into your head, Stark. There is a reason why he belongs in prison and away from personal contact. He will only end up hurting you in the long run."

The way Fulla said that last sentence struck Tony in an odd way. She said it like it was from experience. "He knows," Tony replied, locking eyes with the aggravated goddess. "He knows he will end up hurting those close to him; it's why he doesn't want to get close to Asgard again."

"What are you saying, Stark?"

"Loki knows his role in Ragnarok," Fulla paled at that. "He knows what he has been said to do and he's pulling away so he doesn't feel like he's betraying anyone when he does end up playing his role in Ragnarok." Tony looked at his hands and coughed. "Loki also knows he killed Baldr."

"Loki," Fulla whispered, a hand at her mouth. Tony was surprised at the emotion laced in her speech when she said Loki's name. "We must alert Frigga of this immediately; Lokasenna will be occurring soon."

"What is Lokasenna?" Tony asked as he and Fulla ran down the hall, her boots clicking against the hard palace floor.

"Lokasenna is Loki's final spiel of Asgard. It is his final verbal attack of the Nine Realms before he is locked up forever." Tony skidded to a stop as the two raced around a corner. Fulla turned to him with a snarl. "Why are you stopping, Stark? Frigga needs to learn of this immediately!"

"I have to go to Loki to calm him down." Tony said, breath quickening as he realized what he needed to do. "When Loki breaks his bond, Ragnarok begins. If he is never locked up in the first place, he doesn't have any bonds to break. I have to stop him from coming to Asgard."

"Stark."

"This my first step to stopping Ragnarok, Fulla, I need to do this!" He pointed an accusational finger at the goddess. "You said you wanted me to do my job of stopping Ragnarok, well, this is it. Frigga can wait."

Fulla looked like she was going to snap Tony's neck right then and there but she sighed and waved a hand, gently swirls of purple seeping from her fingers. "Think of him and you will be there."

"Thank you." Tony nodded and immediately thought of Loki, careful not to think of the god's magic this time around. He felt a rush of emotions, hatred, sadness, loneliness and everything depressing under the sun before he was swathed in purple and yanked through space.

A second later, Tony found himself  in Loki's bedroom. He shouldn't have been as surprised as he was when he noted the god wasn't in the room. Kyna ran to him, her green eyes full of sadness and worry. Tony patted the dog's head with a sad smile before running out of the room to the kitchen. Still no Loki. Kyna ran toward the front door with a whine and Tony opened it, watching her run outside down the street, a blur of black amongst the quickly gathering crowd.

Tony ran toward the crowd, one thought in his head. He could feel the gentle hums of magic from the gods and goddesses around him as he shoved through, trying to get to the center of the mass. He felt a familiar pang of magic and broke through the last barrier of Vanirs to find Loki and Freyr in the middle, Loki no longer wearing a glamour. The trickster god was yelling something, Tony wasn't focused on it, and Freyr was pale and silent as he reached for Loki.

"Loki!" Tony cried out, watching those green eyes turn toward him with shock. Freyr turned too as the man ran toward the god, thinking of the possible ways he could calm Loki down. "Loki, don't do this, please; don't do this."

Begging is one option then.

"Don't do what, Stark? Be myself?" Loki snapped back, eyes crazed and wide. Tony stepped back, unsure of what to do now. He mentally reached out for Loki and was ambushed by emotions once more. Loki's emotions were so jumbled and feral that Tony couldn't tell what Loki was feeling anymore.

"This isn't you and you know this!" he replied angrily as Loki snorted. "I know you and you know me, our magic is the same damn it! I did not heal you just for you to turn around and mess up everything! Calm your ass down and listen for once, Loki! I am here to help. I want to help you, so let me do my damn job!"

"Your job? What is this job of yours, Stark?" Loki said incredulously, laughing slightly with his words. Tony's heart ached hearing that sickening laugh. Oh how he wished it was Loki's genuine and loving one. The god opened his mouth to say something, but he was struck in the chest with a hammer and went flying over the crowd, landing on the roof of a nearby house, only to fall right on through the roof.

"Stark," Thor said, running to the man, who was about to run to Loki, "What are you doing here? I thought you were speaking to my father."

"Fulla sent me here."

"It is dangerous here; I recommend you leave and return to Midgard where you will be safe."

"I am not going anywhere!" Tony exclaimed, loosing control of his magic for a moment. Thor's eyes went wide as he stepped away from Tony, who was unaware of the cloud of blue he had released.

"You carry magic?" Tony looked at his hands at Thor's question and found them glowing intensely blue.

"Yeah, I do," he said quietly, looking up into Thor's eyes, "Loki's been teaching me."

"You are the Midgardian Sorcerer." Thor gasped and as if in a round, the other gods and goddesses around the two slowly the same. "You have been in contact with my brother."

"Yes, I have been. I'm distantly related to you," Thor raised both his eyebrows with surprise. "I carry the blood of Fulla, Gna, Eir and Hlin. I work for Frigga and my job is to be Loki's student."

A flash of gold burst between Freyr and Thor, Frigga taking it's place. Her blue eyes were wide with worry as she turned to Tony, grabbing his hands. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"He's in that house," Tony said softly, pointing toward the house, "Sorry about everything. I meant to report earlier, but I--"

"I know and I understand. You have been taught well; I can feel it," the goddess smiled at Tony and kissed him on the cheek before running to the house Loki had fallen into. Thor and Tony ran after her, Freyr and the crowd at their heels. "Loki? Loki, sweetie?"

No one responded, but Thor let out a short cry when he found his hammer on a table with no Loki underneath it. Frigga held a hand to her mouth and Freyr placed a hand on her shoulder as Thor grabbed the weapon with a growl. Tony became increasingly confused (isn't no one but Thor able to move the hammer?) until he felt the pang of Loki using his magic and called Loki's name aloud as he called for the god in his head.

No response, although he did feel the hum of Loki's magic, so Loki acknowledged him.

He opened his mouth to say more, but his words turned to a gasp as he suddenly felt an internal snap. That cool hum that would echo through his head when contacting Loki turned into a horrible screech of a dying animal. Everything was out of control for a split second. He couldn't see, hear, talk, breathe, do anything.

Tony collapsed to his knees, a hand at his chest. His heart was pounding in his ears as the gut-wrenching scream quieted down, still ringing in his ears. Tony's eyes were wet with tears that did not fall and he was shaking on his knees, brown hair strewn across his sweaty face as his eyes went in and out of focus. Tony didn't understand what just happened. Everything was fine, well, not fine, but better. This had never happened before. He reached out for Loki again, but felt nothing. There was no source of Loki's magic anymore. No pang, no hum, not anything. He thought about Loki's magic, thought about the god like he had before but nothing happened.

Either Loki died, or he severed the bond. Destroyed their magical bond.

"I can't, I can't--" Tony gasped, bottom lip quivering as he struggled to breathe, "I can't feel him, Frigga."

Tony looked up at the queen, who paled horrifically, looking over at Thor, who had his head down. The blonde god looked over at Tony, who was struggling to his feet, and helped the sorcerer up with a gentle hand.

"My queen!" Everyone turned as an Asgardian guard ran toward the group. "We have found the escaped prisoner, Loki Laufeyson! He is in Odin's banquet hall where the royals of the Nine Worlds are feasting for the Man of Iron's arrival."

Ah, Odin wanting to talk to Tony was real. He thought Eir made it up as an excuse for Tony to go up to Asgard.

"We must stop him!" Thor shouted, raising his hammer to the sky. Before anyone could say a word, Thor was gone in a flash of rainbow.

"Tony, you need to stop him." Frigga said sternly as she gently cupped Tony's face with her smaller callused hands. "You know him more than I do now and I told you when this started that you may have to fight against him."

 _But that was only if he didn't agree to teach me_ , Tony's brain supplied but he pushed that thought to the side.

"He absolutely deserves a thorough ass-kicking for the whole invasion of Midgard thing. I never did punish him for that. Instead I forgave him for it so I guess this could be the chance for payback." Tony laughed lightly, but it was void of humor and conviction. "Don't worry, I'll stop him, Frigga, and then you can find me a new teacher."

Tony smiled and started to walk away, the crowd moving to create a path for him. "Do you want a new teacher?"

Tony stopped in his tracks at Frigga's words, his fists clenched at his sides as he squeezed his eyes shut. He reopened them and felt his magic flair in his hands. "This isn't about what I want, my queen, it's what I need."

_I need to be away from him because I'm going to be extremely compromised by the time Ragnarok comes if we keep going down this path together._

And with that, Tony performed his first ever teleportation spell and landed himself back on Earth.

  
"Damn it."


	8. Lokasenna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gets some words off his chest in a verbally violent rant. Tony finds himself somewhat in the middle of the spat and learns some important details about the god in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for sticking with this story; i'm glad to read your comments and i'm excited to share the next arc of this story soon~ until then, here is chapter 8!

"Avengers!" Tony called out as he stumbled on his feet, running off the roof tower. "Jarvis, get me my suit right now."

"Of course, sir," the AI system stated in a manner too calm for the situation at hand.

Tony grumbled about it in passing, running through the main room to reach the elevator so he could quickly gather the others from their floors.

"Tony?" the distracted man turned at the sound of his name and ran to Steve before grabbing the soldier’s hand in a rush. Steve blinked twice. "What are you doing?"

"Come with me and call an Avengers meeting," Tony replied, pulling the blonde with him into the elevator. "We've got a situation up in Asgard concerning Loki."

Steve morphed into soldier mode, pulling out his Starkphone to call the rest of the team. By the time the two Avengers got downstairs to the new SHIELD base below Stark Tower, all the others were in a conference room, chatting between themselves. Fury looked up from whatever he was glaring at on his Starkpad and stared at Tony and Steve as they entered.

"I'm back and so is Loki," Tony announced, a little out of breath and woozy. That teleportation spell took work and energy he wasn't anticipating and there was a distant light-headness threatening to consume his conscious. "Loki is verbally attacking Asgard right now. Thor is dealing with it right now but from the looks of it, Loki is a little out there and, you know," Tony made the coo-coo symbol as he sat down. "I got out of the way in enough time, but I think Thor is going to need our help to contain Loki."

"Are there any other villains with him?" Clint asked, quiver of arrows already set on his back.

"Not that I saw." Tony replied, beginning to pace with worry. "I don't know what's going on and even worse, I don't know what's going to happen. All I know is that Loki's completely lost it."

_He cut himself off from me and it hurts so bad._

"How do we get to Asgard?" Steve asked, bringing Tony back from his thoughts. The inventor stopped pacing and turned to the blonde with a look that he hoped didn't scream _Are you dense?_ even though he was sure it did.

"Heimdall can bring us." the sorcerer smiled slightly before motioning for his friends to come to him. "Fury, you can sit this one out."

The director of SHIELD narrowed his one eye at Tony as he stood. "You are lucky I have bigger problems to deal with than Asgardian verbal war foreplay. But if you get killed--"

"That's not an option," he snapped sharply, "so don't mention it."

"Tony, before we go you might want your suit," Bruce kindly pointed out midst the static silence consuming the group thanks to Tony's brazen comment.

"Ah, yes, give me but a second to get it on," Tony ran toward the door and then skidded as he came to a sudden stop. "Actually, you all go up first; I'll be there in a second."

Steve rose an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something but Tony didn't find out because the group of four were swallowed by a rainbow and quickly out of sight. The brunette nodded toward Fury before running up the stairs as fast as his slightly exhausted body could handle. "Jarvis, where's my suit?"

"It is coming, sir."

"Don't tell me I need to go flying through another window for it to come."

"Doing so might help."

"Very funny, Jarv; you're quite the comedian." Tony ran up to the roof just in time for his suit to land and he put the armor on, pulling the visor down once situated. "Alright then. Heimdall, beam me up."

Never would Tony ever get used to Bifrost travel.

"Where'd they go?" he asked the Bifrost protector once stable on his feet. It didn't help that Tony was still a little weak from casting that teleportation spell that sent him to the wrong place.

"Your friends were escorted by Prince Thor toward Odin's hall." Heimdall stared down at Tony with his golden eyes. "Try your best, Stark."

"I am to please."

Tony winked at the god before turning on his thrusters and blasting up into the air with too much force, loosing control of what little sense of direction he had left. The man went whirling through the air, crashing through the gates of Asgard in the process. "Jarvis, what is going on?" he exclaimed as the world spun before him.

"You are overpowering your suit with magic." the AI system replied. Tony cursed inwardly. It seemed like he shouldn’t quite have made those improvements to his suit yet. "Also, the suit is rejecting the new source of energy. I am attempting to solve this problem, but your magic is extremely strong, sir."

Tony didn't reply as he went soaring into a building, crashing through rooms and screaming people in the process. He landed on his back with a cough and clambered to his feet, gritting his teeth with anger. The sorcerer turned his thrusters back on with minimum force only to go skyrocketing through town once again.

"Why is this so hard?" he growled after destroying what seemed like more than half the houses and buildings near the golden palace. Tony was currently hovering in the air, rocking back and forth as he struggled to control his magic and the force within it. "This _is_ the Mark version where my magic is powering this suit, right Jarvis?"

"That is correct, sir."

Tony opened his mouth to make a comment about torque but the sound of guards yelling caught his attention before the thought could fully form. The mortal man flew down to the guards and didn't have much of an elegant landing, blundering through the open doors of Odin's feasting hall in the process. Before he flew straight into a golden wall and plummeted to the floor in a red and gold metal heap, Tony spotted Loki in the room yelling something at all the people in the hall.

"I was your _son_ , or so you used to tell me everyday since I was born!"

Tony put a hand toward his head before he reached out a hand for Loki as he ran toward the god to catch his attention. In the midst of his sprint, Tony accidentally activated his thrusters which sent him back into the air, banging himself against the ceiling to smash down into the floor. Loki seemed keen on ignoring Tony though and continued with his rant. "I know the truth of why you took me in, of why you lied to me my whole life. You know my _orlog_ ; you knew my destiny and played me for a fool the entire time."

"Loki," Odin started, standing from his position at the head of the table. All the others at the table turned to face the King. "I tried my best to--"

"Do not say you tried your best to protect me. Why did you take me in if you knew as soon as you touched me that I was _that_ Loki, I was the Loki of Jotunheim that would lead the final battle of Ragnarok?" Loki's voice was filled with quietly intense anger, his face contorted with pain and agony though his tone stayed stead and low. "You knew what would happen so why couldn't you have let me die so it would not come to this?"

"Loki!"

Both Tony and Loki turned as Frigga--accompanied by Freyr and other gods, goddess, and dwarfs--entered the dining hall. Loki's face softened just the tiniest bit (Tony barely noticed it himself) before rage consumed his facial features.

"You, Frigga, who lied and help him keep that secret. I forgave you for it, I truly did, but did you really think I knew not of my fate in life?" he laughed bitterly and Tony bit back a comment. "You cannot change it no matter how much you try. You cannot change who I am and who I will be. The fates have already decided and you know as well as I do that rarely do they change their mind. You should've known and you should have said no to taking me in because you knew as soon as you touched me; you knew what I would do! You knew I would kill _him_ , kill all of them because you're a seer, you know my _orlog_!"

"I thought it would change!" Frigga cried out, tears welding in her brown eyes. "I thought if you lived with us, if you could love and be loved and be sheltered, it would not happen! The volva told us Loki of _Jotunheim_ would lead the battle, not Loki of _Asgard!_ " The queen motioned to the room at large, her eyes still trained on her raging son. "The paths of our _orlog_ are etched in but there will always be another path you can take. There is always a path seers cannot see until you take a step toward it."

"Not for this, Frigga."

Tony took a step toward Loki, ready to finally butt in before regrettable words could be said, but the god immediately turned toward him with feral green eyes and flicked his hand. Green magic shot out of Loki's palm and struck Tony in the chest, sending the man airborne through the hall. He rammed into a wall across the way and slumped to the ground with a groan. "Sir," Jarvis started, hesitant with his words as if interrupting at a bad time, which he kinda was,"your suit is overloaded with magic."

"The number of times you tell me does nothing to alleviate the issue," Tony hobbled to his feet again, glad he was wearing his armor to protect himself. "I can't bother to worry about that right now unless I'm about to explode."

"Oh, you brought along Freya!" Tony turned at Loki's mocking joy, finding Freyr standing beside a tall woman with gorgeous and lengthy black hair and hurt gray eyes. "When I was younger, I used to believe I was your son. I dismissed the thought; we were not similar enough for my taste and being adopted seemed improbable. I may have been the only one with black hair and green eyes, but Fulla has black hair and Hlin had a sister with black hair and green eyes."

"Loki, calm down," Freya said, walking toward the angered god. "I understand you are upset about your _orlog_ and Ragnarok but you will only make the situation worse if you do not calm down first."

"Calm down?" Loki laughter was maniacal, his deep voice bleeding through the room. It sent uncomfortable chills down Tony's spine. "Why should I calm down when not even you have calmed down your promiscuous ways? I did not simply think me your son for hair color and height. I know of you and Odin, everyone does. Perhaps I was the child of such affairs.” Freya paled and Odin twitched in his seat. Tony wasn’t quite sure why no one was willing to step in yet, maybe deciding this conversation was something that needed to occur.

”I would rather that affair have produced me that the reality of what I am of course,” continued Loki, “But if I was your son, why not take me in and let me be Prince of Vanaheim? Why Asgard? If I were your son the answer would be simple. You're a _seer_ , the queen of all seers throughout the Nine, and you knew of my _orlog_ as well. You wouldn't be able to handle taking care of a child who will begin the end of the Nine Worlds!"

"Loki, how dare you--"

"How dare I _what_ , Freyr? How dare I insult your sister in such ways that I have? I am not the one who bedded my sibling and wedded her shortly after," Tony blinked at that as the gods murmured to themselves. Loki turned back to Freya with a sneer. "I am not the one who bedded nine dwarfs simultaneously for a necklace!"

Freya's gray eyes hardened dangerously and wisps of dark gray twirled around her elegant body. "Which,” she added angrily, “you later stole from me."

Loki ignored Freya's comment with a passing hand as Tony adjusted the gauntlet of his damaged suit, calculating numbers and data in his head to figure out a way not to overpower his suit with magic. Tony was having enough of this, not wanting to waste another second in case the tides turned. He pointed his palm toward Loki, estimating measurements with his eye and hopeful his eye was a good enough approximation to get Loki's attention. A stream of blue burst from Tony's palm and he quickly pulled his arm down after he accidentally blasted Loki into the air with magic from his suit. The god landed on the long wooden dining table and quickly stood up, enraged green eyes aimed on Tony as his frazzled black hair swayed with anger.

_Shit._

"Stark," Loki spat, striding across the table where some Aesir and elves were still sitting, " or the Midgardian Sorcerer as we should know him as."

All eyes turned on Tony, who really didn't want to be the center of attention for the first time in, probably, ever. Loki leapt off the table and landed gracefully like a cat, eyes trained on Tony the entire time. Tony could just imagine Loki coming at him with that scepter again and it almost made him panic.

"Loki, look; I didn't intend to send you flying across the room, only a little shove."

Tony came to a stop with his words as five green strands of magic attached themselves to his chest plate and flung him across the room with ease. He once more made unwelcome contact with the wall and struggled to get back on his feet, only to get tossed about again. "You are almost as bad as Fulla," the god chuckled sadly as he walked toward the suited man, "Hating me at first, never letting that go as you try to better me for your own twisted purposes."

"Bettering you was never the point of the deal, Loki." Tony sputtered out, wincing as his leg throbbed with intense pain. He quickly cast a healing spell but Loki must have countered it because he didn't feel any much different. His face paled as he gaped up at the other man. "What the _fuck_ did you just do? How did you do that?"

The mortal sorcerer scrambled to his feet as Loki approached, quickly pointing his palm toward the face of the god. Loki sauntered toward Tony, green magic surrounding him in a halo like glow. It swirled and twisted around Loki's body, calling out for Tony with gut-wrenching pain that echoed in those dark emerald eyes. Unable to act and struck with intense sorrow for Loki, Tony allowed himself to be touched by those gorgeous strands of magic coming his way. He let those five strands touch his armor and meld into his chest plate, grasping him in a manner similar to someone squeezing his chest. Tony winced slightly but did not protest as he maintained eye contact with Loki. Someone needed to see Loki eye-to-eye to let him know that he wasn't feared. Yes, Tony feared what the god could do as any creature feared those stronger than themselves, but he didn't fear _Loki_ himself. He knew the god was scared and lashing out, provoking him more wouldn't help anyone.

Tony wanted to step back but he took a breath and simply rose his hands with innocence as Loki cocked his head with curiosity. Even with his visor on, Tony felt like the god was staring straight into his eyes. He wanted to look away, not look into those pools of emotion and see every ounce of pain and agony that resonated in them but he stood his ground. "You too played me for a fool," Loki started, "claiming you and I can end what I am to start."

Relief filled Tony's chest as he took a chance at talking Loki out of this rage. "We _can_ , Loki." he started softly, ignoring everyone else in the room. "You teach me, I stop Ragnarok, and then you can live as you want."

"The only way to stop Ragnarok is to _kill_ me, Stark, do you not get it?" Loki exclaimed, black hair strewn across his pale face as he yelled, "Me teaching you does not matter if I am still alive to start the battle. Frigga or Freyr could be your teacher but it would not matter as long as I am alive to start the battle."

"If that's true, then why are you here?" Tony crossed his arms. "Why are you still alive then? Why did you agree to this if you knew you would only end up starting Ragnarok?"

"I knew not of my destiny until after I agreed for Frigga's sake," the god's emotion-laden green eyes turned from Tony, "It was after I took you to my abode when I found out."

"The person at the door," Tony gasped lightly, watching Loki's eyes squeeze shut with pain. "The person at the door told you."

"And I did not believe her until you told me of Baldr." Those green eyes snapped back to Tony with anger, the previous mood shattered. "Until you confirmed for me what it is I'm meant to do."

Loki stepped back with dark eyes, fingers tingling with magic. Tony himself rose his arms in defense, calling on his magic and the power within it to help him with a destruction spell he had learned during those two weeks of lessons. He managed to blast an incredible amount of magic from his palms and shot Loki across the hall before the god could conjure his own magic. Tony would have taken more pride in his preemptive attack if it weren't for the fact that Loki should have seen that coming from a mile away but he did nothing to counter it.

"Tony!"

The man turned at the familiar voice and spotted the Avengers, including Thor, running toward him. He smiled soberly, "Where were you guys?"

"We got lost." Clint explained, turning to glare at Thor, who smiled sheepishly. Tony felt a wave of gratitude for Thor keeping the others back long enough to try to control the situation.

"The palace has changed since my last visit," was Thor's menial response before he turned his attention toward the situation at hand. "What has happened in the meantime?"

"Well, Loki's been using me like a rag doll about the hall. Kinda hurts but I think it'll be good prep in the long run."

Thor barely heard Tony's words as he pushed the man to the side to storm Loki. The dark-haired god was coughing as he climbed to his feet, steeling himself as he spotted Thor. "Loki! Why are you treating Stark in such a manner?"

"Treat Stark in such a manner? He can handle it," Loki spat, sending a blast of magic toward Thor, who took the hit in stride like he was used to it, "but now you are here, Prince Thor."

"Loki, we do not wish this on you. No one wishes such an _orlog_ on someone else."

"That doesn't derail from the fact that you  _knew_." Loki said and the utter pain and anguish in those two words even made Natasha raise her eyebrows. "You knew of my _orlog_ and hid it like everyone else. You are just like Odin, but as they say, like father, like son."

"I did not know until after Baldr's death and I could not bring myself to tell you of his death. I have always known how close you two were and I did not want to torment you further." Thor's big blue eyes were dark with sorrow, "The day I meant to tell you despite knowing I should not do so was the you left your prison. I went searching through the Nine looking for you so I could tell you, not to put you in prison once more." Tony watched Loki's eyes soften just enough to show he was truly listening to Thor. "I used your imprisonment as an excuse because I was told I could not tell you."

Loki lowered his arm slightly, taking in Thor's words. The sorcerer god looked conflicted, unsure if he should believe Thor's words. So Thor continued his speech in the expanding silence. "Mother has only just told me of the role of the Midgardian Sorcerer in this, his role of stopping Ragnarok. I believe she has chosen well by letting you teach him."

"Don't you _dare_ bring him into this, Thor!" Loki cried out, his voice cracking horrifically on the word dare, "I don't need your approval on teaching him and I certainly do not need you believing he can stop me. Before him Ragnarok was inevitable. Why is he the new savior?"

"We all believe he can do this, Loki, and so do you, so please, stop protesting and let him do his job and you do yours."

Everyone in the hall screamed with fright as Loki let out a cry and fired a concentrated ray of emerald green at Thor's chest, knocking the thunder god unstable. With every ray Loki shot from his palms, he yelled at Thor. He yelled _I hate you_ and started crying, letting the tears pour down his face as he exerted all his energy into injuring Thor.

His magic lightened from green to a pale white, white like snow or frost tinged a little blue. That's when Loki suddenly stopped, staring at his hands with disbelief. His hands were turning dark blue and his face was tingeing baby blue. Thor, who was on the ground on one knee while wielding Mjolnir, turned to the Avengers after striking Loki down with a bolt of lightning. The blonde thunder god was injured as well. He had a trail of blood rushing down the side of his head and a couple bruises along with dented armor.

"Get the royals of the Nine out of this hall." the prince ordered, "I wish no harm on the innocent."

Steve nodded and grouped up the five heroes (Bruce had exited the hall to make sure he didn't Hulk out), rushing to the table where most of the shocked and frightened Aesir and elves and such were. Thor grabbed Tony's leg, stopping the mortal from following his friends.

"Stop Loki, Stark." Thor said as he stood up fully, blue eyes boring into Tony's brown ones, even though the man's visor was down. "I fear if I try, I may kill him."

"What makes you think I won't?" Tony retorted, rage boiling in his gut. Thor looked so injured yet equally determined to stop Loki and didn't look like he had an ounce of anger in him. "I'm more pissed at him than you are!"

"Of course you are, Anthony," Thor's face softened lightly as he stood up, wincing slightly with his movements, "Only the ones closest to him can get the most angry at him for this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the brunette exclaimed, very pleased his visor was down so no one could see his face heat up. "Never mind, I'll stop him, but only because you can't do so yourself with all those injuries."

Thor didn't get a chance to respond for he was violently shoved into a golden wall by a green bolt of magic. Tony turned to Loki, who was on his hands and knees, panting heavily as red, green, and white swirled around the sorcerer god in a messy cloud of color. Loki was back to his normal shade of peachy white, no more weird tints of blue. The armored man could feel Loki's magic throbbing in the back of his head, which confused him because wasn't the bond gone? Didn't Loki destroy it?

"Loki, get up," Tony started, walking to the god as his visor pulled up. Tired green eyes looked up suddenly and with a grunt, Loki sent another flare of green magic toward Tony. Tony dodged it--barely might he add--and went from walking to running as the exhausted god stood up. "Your death is not the answer."

"Why do you say that?" Loki replied, rocky on his wobbling legs.

The god's usually meticulously gelled back hair was a frizzled and tangled mess, sweaty and plastered to his face. His face was an unhealthy white, causing those mythic green eyes to stand out more than usual. His cape was torn and his armor was dented, probably caused from the blasts of magic Tony had sent his way. A trail of crimson red flowed from his mouth and a different one trailed across the god's arm where a gash had been inflicted and tore his armor. From the looks of it, one of Loki's legs was also injured; he wasn't putting much weight on it as he stood. That's when Tony remembered that Loki wasn't completely healed from his sickness. He was only well enough to be able to teleport Tony with no added injury. Every attack he and Thor launched did much more harm and damage than intended or expected to cause.

The swirls of magic around Loki separated from each other, no longer mixing together. Tony and everyone else watched Loki collapse to his knees on the golden ground of the damaged eating hall as the red, green and white strands started to form shapes. More precisely, silhouettes. The green one took the silhouette of Loki with his horned helmet. The red swirls took the silhouette of a form Tony had only seen a few times, Hyrr the Vanir god of Vanaheim. The last one, the white swirls, formed a silhouette Tony was unfamiliar with. It was taller than the other two and a bit more muscular, but also had horns like Loki's helmet. And was _feminine_.

The first silhouette to take its true form was the green one. Tony's eyes widen slightly as he recognized this Loki. It was Loki's magic. Loki was releasing his magic from his body, but why now? There were so many people here who _hated_ him, who would attack him at this vulnerable moment. They could even steal his magic or damage it beyond repair. Why was he doing this? Was it to heal his body or heal his magic?

Someone in the distance raised an weapon to strike down Loki, but before anyone could do anything, Tony found himself in front of Loki, guarding the god with his arms and legs spread out. "Don't you dare fucking touch him," the man growled dangerously, watching Loki's magic turn toward him with slight surprise. Tony snorted.  "Don't act surprised; you know I won't let you or him die."

The second silhouette to take its true form was the red one. Hyrr's magic opened his blue eyes, donned in armor similar to Thor's but without the gray chest plate. This had to be Loki's seithr magic as usually when Loki was in Vanaheim outside his house, he took the form of Hyrr. Tony smiled softly at the magic, who nodded back with thanks. Tony heard rustling and turned to see Loki slowly stand up, his legs trembling terribly with his efforts. This was a new low for Loki and maybe a few months back Tony would have found joy in that fact but he could feel nothing but worry as he ran to Loki's side.

"Loki," Tony whispered, grabbing the god seconds before he plunged to the floor. "I've got you. You're not alone. I'm not leaving you." He repeated those three phrases many times as he held Loki close, sliding to his knees as he cradled Loki's head against his chest.

The white silhouette finally took its' true form and everyone including Tony gasped at the sight. Ruby red eyes stared down at Tony, who was tracing the beautiful artistic linear patterns that crossed over the winter blue skin with his eyes. Gold necklaces dangled from the creature's neck and equally gold rings adorned her fingers. An intricately designed loincloth rested on the creature's waist, and leather white laced wrappings laced with patterns of gold donned her chest. Thick and long raven black hair was braided down her back and blue horns protruded from the blue creature's skull as an elaborately designed golden crown rested on her head. Cold poured from the creature, who raised a hand, long black fingernails donning those blue patterned fingers.

"Loki," Tony muttered again, watching all the eyes of the magics turn toward him. He focused on the red eyes and spoke once more. "Are you his Jotun magic?"

"Yes," a female voice replied, still sounding like it could be Loki to Tony. "I am _Loptr_."

"Skywalker," Tony translated. "Hyrr means fire, Loptr means skywalker. What does Loki mean?"

"No one knows," Loki's magic replied, his words echoing in the silence. "It is an odd name for a sorcerer and a Jotun though."

"It has to have meaning though, right?" Tony looked away from Loki's magic and searched for Odin and Frigga, who were no longer in the hall. Right; the Avengers had evacuated them. "Loptr, why are you here? I didn't know Loki could do anything with his Jotun magic."

"He couldn't until now. He unleashed me in his rage on Thor," the Jotun replied, staring down at Loki's limp form. "Doing so has weakened him very much so his body let all of his magic free."

"So, you," Tony motioned to the magic that looked like Loki, "are Loki's Aesir magic and you," the mortal sorcerer motioned to the Hyrr looking magic, "are Loki's Vanir magic. But, why red?"

"In Vanaheim, red means the same as green."

"But, his magic is never red. It's always green."

"Because he made it that way. It is essentially red, but appears green because Loki wishes for it to be that way. Also, his Vanir magic is not as stable as his Aesir magic."

Tony nodded silently and stood up, picking up Loki, who had passed out, bridal style. The three forms of magic stepped back as Tony turned and proceeded to leave the destroyed hall, Loki in hand. Hyrr, Loki's magic (Tony would need a name for him; his brain provided  _Regin_ ), and Loptr followed suit. There was a crowd around the entrance to the hall and some people screamed at the sight of Loptr.

"Anthony!" the sorcerer turned at his name and spotted Thor and the other Avengers running toward them. The blonde came to his side first, blue eyes full of worry for Loki. "Is he alright?"

"He passed out." Tony shrugged as the others joined Thor.

"Whoa, who's that?" Clint asked, jabbing a finger in the direction of Loptr. Thor finally noticed the Jotun and raised his hammer, prepared to strike.

"Don't do it," Tony hissed violently, catching Thor's attention. "It's magic. Loki's magic. All three of them are."

"Tony, we've got to do something with him now that we have him down." Steve said with urgency, shield in hand. "If he's a part of this villain thing then all the others could be coming soon enough."

"He's got a point," Bruce said. The scientist looked pretty ruffled up. Tony wondered if he had Hulked out at all. "Loki is dangerous. Look what him wandering around has done already. We've got to lock him up."

"You _can't_."

Tony closed his mouth before he could reply and turned, surprised to spot Fulla walking toward the group of heroes. Her blue eyes were slightly red and puffy, but she stood tall and grand with an air of superiority.

"Why can't we?" Steve asked kindly once Fulla stood on the other side of Tony.

She looked down at Loki and sighed heavily, turning to lock eyes with Steve. "What just occurred was _Lokasenna_ : the flyting of Loki."

"What's a flyting?"

Tony zoned out here as Fulla started explaining what had occurred and how it tied in with Ragnarok. He told her he was going to drop Loki off somewhere in the palace and quietly asked her not to mention his magical abilities. With that, the Midgardian Sorcerer walked away from the growing crowd, Regin, Loptr, and Hyrr right behind him.

"Do you know how Loki was able to counter my healing spells?" Tony asked once the group turned the corner. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"He wasn't countering your healing spells." Regin replied, turning to the sorcerer with dark green eyes, "He was accelerating them. There's a reason why your leg no longer hurts."

Tony rose an eyebrow at that. Yeah, his leg was no longer hurting. Huh. "Accelerated them?"

"Yes. He was able to do so because he has your _elskath_ and you have his. There are certain spells one can perform only if they have the _elskath_ for themselves and the other person."

No one said anymore as Tony wandered through halls, turning every which way until he found an empty room. He was lucky enough his wandering brought him to Loki's old room, which didn't look untouched. There were books strewn over the desks and the bed. Papers littered the floor and an spilled inkwell was on the ground, staining part of the green carpet a deadly black. It looked as if someone had come in here searching for something.

Or _someone_.

Tony brushed some of the books off the bed and placed Loki down, staring down at the god. Loki looked horrible. He was too pale for it to be good and his lips were pale pink with death or something. He was even cold to the touch, which didn't please Tony until Loptr and Hyrr told him it was a natural effect of being a Jotun. The man sat down in a chair beside the bed after removing his helmet and watched Loki breathe, wondering why the god had broken their bond.

"Why are you doing this?" Tony asked, voice cracking a bit as he gently cradled Loki's face with a hand. His thumb brushed the god's cold cheek and he heavily sighed with resignation. "What are you trying to accomplish? I'm trying to help you; lord knows why but I want to help you. Let me do that, Loki."

There was no response from the pale and motionless god. Tony stood up angrily from his chair and stormed toward the exit, ignoring the looks Regin, Loptr and Hyrr were sending him. He was so angry, so upset, hurt, and confused. He wanted to yell at Loki until his throat bled and then--dare he say it-- _kiss_  Loki until his lips were raw. He didn't know what to do with Loki. He didn't know how to progress their relationship in the way he wanted and that hurt him the most. Tony had no idea what he wanted from this deal anymore and he knew that if he inspected things more he would find the answer and be forced to face truth. See, Tony knew exactly what to do at the beginning of this: listen to Loki, learn magic, find the villains, defeat them, the end. He knew what to do with Loki, he knew what he needed to do, and was determined to do it but everything changed. Loki lost himself and it was Tony's fault this time. His fault for mentioning Baldr. There was a reason why Eir told him not to tell Loki but Tony ignored her, his mind trained on pleasing Loki, on making the god feel better because it hurt him too when Loki was in emotional pain.

It wasn't just the bond that made his heart ache. Tony didn't need some magic bond to be hurt by people's words or feel joyous at them. He didn't need a bond for that at all.

Tony found his legs moving before he could stop himself. He knelt by Loki's bed and took on of those cold pale hands in his own, staring up at the emotionless god. "Promise me you won't do this again." Tony's voice was so quiet, he could barely hear it, but it was strong and equally definite. "I can't deal with that. I can't deal with you hurting me like this; I have feelings, you know."

Feelings. What an obscure word to hide behind.

"When I say feelings, I mean it as my friend." _No, I mean it as more but I refuse to think about that._ "You're my friend and my magic teacher and you can't flip out like this! There are people who care for you, who are trying to make sure you don't start Ragnarok and I'm one of them, too! Stop hurting us because you want to pull away and let go. We're not going to let you go. Not ever."

Tony didn't even care that he was talking to someone who couldn't hear him. Loptr, Regin, and Hyrr were nearby; they could tell Loki anything important Tony might say during his rant. The man leaned forward a bit and pressed his lips to Loki's sweaty forehead in an affectionate manner similar to when Loki had kissed his temple all those weeks back. His gaze softened before he let go of Loki's hand and stood up fully, turning to Loki's various forms of magic.

"Tell him I'm on Earth and if he needs me, mind speak. Wait; the bond is gone." The mortal sorcerer's eyes went downcast. "Tell him I'm waiting, okay?"

"I could have sworn last I saw you in your Iron Man armor, you were a better flyer."

Tony immediately turned, eyes going wide as he saw half open green eyes look up at him, a weak smirk on the god's lips. Tony was so pleased to hear that sweet voice but all he could do to express himself was to unleash his emotion as yelling.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you? Are you trying to kill everyone?" Loki's lips pressed together in an unmoving flat line. "Don't do that again, understand? I don't want to fight you like this and you will _not_ put me in such a position to do so again. You're my teacher and I want you to teach me, damn it! I want to help you, I don't want this drama anymore, I just want to stop Ragnarok and I can't do it without you, so for the love of Christ, don't go. _Please don't go_."

By the end of his speech, Tony's voice had tapered down to a pleading soft whisper and Loki was getting paler by the second as he closed his eyes.

"When using your suit, make sure you feel the energy of your magic first and then exert it into the forces needed to power the suit." Loki mumbled so softly Tony could barely hear the god's words. "Your reactor is a battery of magic. Use it wisely."

Tony was half tempted to snap at Loki for not even apologizing but he figured the information was an apology in of itself. "You have to help me do that. I don't know as much about magic like you do." one green eye opened weakly and looked over at Tony. "You will help me right? I mean, I'm sorry about the Baldr thing; Eir told me not to tell you but I couldn't help myself. And sorry about the armor, it was necessary though."

"The seer told me I would lead the army to Vigrid," the injured god murmured closing his eye, "She said I would start Ragnarok and end everything but only after killing Baldr. I did not believe her and was angered at her words."

"You don't have to tell me this."

"After you left, I came here," the god continued hoarsely, ignoring Tony's statement. Tony wanted him to stop talking though; his voice sounded like death and he was tinging blue all over every few words. "I searched for anything I could and found the prophecy of Ragnarok. That is why I came so quickly to you when you returned via Bifrost. I ignored what I read even though I knew it was inevitable that I would lead the final army against Asgard."

"It's not inevitable. I can stop it, it's in the prophecy. I'm supposed to stop it." Tony watched Loki snort. "That's why Frigga wanted you to teach me. That's why _I_ want you to teach me. Didn't you hear what Frigga said about _orlogs_? Destinies?" green eyes closed with a muted sigh. "There are so many paths Frigga, other seers, and even the volva can't see because you haven't taken a step toward it. I can help you so you don't lead the army. I want to help you."

"Why do you even care?" the god's voice was so soft and broken, it hurt to hear.

"Because it's the end of the world and I happen to live in it." Loki cocked a smile at that. "And because you're my friend and this is what friends do for each other. You know, push them in the right direction."

"Science magic."

"What?" Tony's brow crinkled with confusion at Loki's words.

"Using magic with the concept of Midgardian science. That is what you need to use in order to use your suit."

"Science magic? How come you've never told me of such a type of magic before?"

"I couldn't until now because you invented it."

Tony rose both his eyebrows with shock. He invented a type of magic? That was pretty on par in awesomeness with inventing the Iron Man armor. A small smile crept onto his lips before he sighed lightly, taking a couple steps back from the bed. "You broke the bond," he said sternly, unwilling to look down at Loki. He was a bit scared he would see a response he wouldn't like. "I couldn't feel you anymore. Still can't. So find a way to contact me about lessons, alright?"

"It was not on purpose if you wish to know." the mortal man still didn't make eye contact with Loki. "Neither was breaking the bond with Frigga. With her, I cut myself off from Aesir magic, breaking our Aesir magic bond. Since she knows not of my other traces, she could no longer talk to me."

"What about Thor and me? Why can you all of a sudden contact him, but not me?"

"I know not. Bond magic was never my speciality or expertise. I prefer not to mess with it as it can lead to more confusion than I'm willing to engage in." Loki's eyes looked around the room with confusion. "What has happened here?"

"It was like this when I came here. Did you do this when you came searching for the legend of Ragnarok?"

"No, I leave no mess like this in the palace. Especially since I am a wanted criminal." the god's brow furrowed. "Someone is looking for me."

"Nice deduction, Sherlock."

Loki paid Tony's comment no mind as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes once more. "Feel free to return to Midgard any time, Stark."

"What about the bond?"

"Do not worry about it; it was a stupid thing to create anyway." Tony's surprised at the harshness of Loki's words.

"It wasn't stupid, just necessary. You said we need the teacher-student bond in order for me to teach you. You have to reinstall it."

"I cannot create that bond again; we are no longer teacher and student. I am not teaching you anymore." Tony balked. "Find someone else. All I will do is trouble you more and I wish not to do that to you any longer."

Tony was pleased to hear Loki admit that he cared for Tony, but the man didn't want that at the moment. "Why can't you get it through your thick skull that I don't want any other teacher?" Loki didn't stir. "I want _you!_ Not Frigga or Freyr or anyone else! I want you to teach me; I need you, Loki."

The sorcerer god didn't stir, but a smile formed on his lips as he chuckled. "You truly are something, aren't you, Stark?"

At Loki's words, Tony suddenly felt a jolt of power rush through him, knocking him to his knees. He clutched at his chest, gasping slightly as he felt a flood of emotions and all his senses went on overload. His eyes went unfocused and he coughed violently, trying to get his breathing pattern back on track. Once he calmed down, Tony grabbed his helmet, putting it on with the visor up, stood on his feet and found Loki on his side, back facing the brunette. He opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but closed it, not wanting to disturb the injured god. From what he could see of Loki and the disappearance of Loptr, Loki was in his Jotun form. He said quick goodbyes to Hyrr and Regin before leaving the room to find Frigga and Thor by the door with hopeful looks.

"He's fine. I think he's sleeping now." Tony announced, watching the two blondes grin with relief. "You've got an interesting god on your hands now. That's all I'm willing to say."

"We love him all the same." Frigga replied, blue eyes bright and cheery. Thor nodded as well, a soft smile on his lips. "I want to thank you Stark for calming him down and coming to interrupt. Lokasenna was not stopped but Loki is neither chained nor locked up so he has nothing to break out of to start Ragnarok."

"Right," Tony smiled a little forcefully, "Anyway, I've got to get back to Midgard before my buddies start asking questions. Thor, thanks for everything as well. I wish I could've stopped him from reaching this point, but not all things can be stopped."

Frigga frowned slightly before perking. "Stark, you said you wanted a new teacher. I found you a few if you wish."

Tony felt his face fall slightly. "Already?"

"Yes," Frigga inspected his face carefully, "or you can continue being with Loki. Do you want Loki as your teacher?"

"It's not what I want anymore but what I need. There's no way possible I can do this without Loki's help now. We've gotten too close to split so to speak." Tony shrugged with his words, surprised at how easily he said them. "I don't think anyone else would be able to teach me as well. After all, our magic is the same."

"What?" Frigga exclaimed, quite astonished at Tony's words.

The brunette sorcerer proceeded to inform Frigga of everything that happened between him and Loki pre-Lokasenna. He started from the creation of the teacher-student bond, to the breaking of their crude lover's bond.

"It's back," Frigga purred, eyes glinting with suggestiveness. Thor coughed awkwardly and Tony could feel his cheeks start to heat up.

"What do you mean? Loki broke the bond, it's gone."

"He brought it back. I can feel it since I have your traces encoded. Bond magic is magic of the traces, not of the magic itself."

That must have been what happened back in the room when Tony's senses went haywire and stuff. A smile crept onto Tony's lips as he shook his head. They had a intimate friendship bond and that was good enough for him. He still didn't know exactly what he wanted out of this relationship with Loki (they both wanted more by evidence that Loki reinstated the crude lover's bond, not the teacher-student bond), but he really needed to get his head on straight and get his magic skills up to snuff.

"That's good then. I'll be up in Asgard soon enough then. He'll be staying here a little while, right? You might need to watch over him, I don't think he's safe in Vanaheim anymore."

Frigga nodded with agreement. "It would be best to keep Loki here even if he was not so injured and exhausted." the queen turned to face the closed door of her son's room. "I never thought him powerful enough to remove all of his magic from his body. He trusts you a lot to be able to do so while so weak and surrounded by people who would take advantage of it."

"I figured. Oh wait, I wanted to ask a question about something." Frigga raised a blonde eyebrow, curiosity written in her eyes. "When Loki released his Jotun magic, it was female. Why is that? I thought it would be male too since you know, Loki's male."

"Oh," Frigga smiled softly, "Loki is neither male nor female. He is both." Tony blinked and Thor gained a look of shock. "I know in many of the cultures on Midgard and within other worlds of the Nine, we often see genders portrayed as binary. Such is not the case with Jotunheim and Loki, a frost Jotun, is no exception. Loki was born with what we would consider a "female" body, but to Jotuns, he is  _frue_ : female in body for reproduction's sake but male in spirit and blood." Thor seemed slightly confused and Tony wondered if Thor ever had species gender education classes while growing up. Frigga continued on. "Shortly after discovering Loki at the Jotunheim temple, Odin gave faer--the pronoun associated specifically for _frue_ Jotun--a second configuration of a male Aesir to suit what he felt from faers magic. This also meant Odin would not be a suspect of theft since he has a new son not a daughter."

"So you admit to stealing Loki from his home?"

Frigga bowed her head with shame at Thor's comment. "We had to take Loki in as a precaution to make sure Ragnarok could not happen. We thought if fae were to stay in Jotunheim and become the queen fae was born to be, then Ragnarok would most definitely occur."

"But in the legends Loki kills Baldr. Why would you take Loki in if you knew it meant Baldr, faer brother, would be killed?"

"Because Loki of _Jotunheim_ kills Baldr. Loki of _Jotunheim_ goes through with Lokasenna. If Loki did not associate faerself with Jotunheim, then how can it occur?" the queen pressed her lips together with a frown. "We never thought Loki would run into Jotun giants in the manner he did. We never thought the simple touch would cause Loki to change configuration."

Tony spoke up. "Configuration?"

"Yes. Loki has two bodies and two minds: his Aesir body and mind and faer Jotun body and mind. Concepts on identity are so drastically different between Aesir and Jotun and these are concepts deeply embedded in the magic itself. More often than not Jotuns uptaking Aesir magics will find themselves developing a second configuration. From now on, when Loki changes to his Jotun form his appearance and mindset will change as well, therefore changing his configuration."

Frigga sighed as Tony and Thor raised their eyebrows with confusion. "Say you use a glamour spell to make yourself look like an elephant. The glamour spell does not change your physical appearance. It causes everyone else who sees you to see a change of physical appearance, but underneath the spell, the body is normal. Say you use a shapeshifting spell to make yourself look like an elephant. The shapeshifting spell _does_ change your physical appearance, but your mindset is still the same. You still think like Anthony Stark or Thor Odinson. A change in configuration--or a morph as those of us who use magic prefer to call it--is when the physical appearance changes with the mindset. You would look like an elephant and think like one as well."

"You said from now when Loki morphs, he will change mindset and appearance. Why didn't that happen before?"

"Faer Jotun form has been locked down for over a thousand years so when he came in contact with Jotun magic, it must have awakened. Jotun Loki was weak though so the best fae could be presented as was a shapeshift, not a full morph. Shapeshifting rarely includes changes in one's gender and only the best can change their gender. While Loki is an expert with shapeshifting magic and one of the best at it, he still needs to concentrate and focus, so while under emotional pain and turmoil, he can not change gender. Therefore, he shapeshifted into a male Jotun version of himself instead of morphing into his Jotun configuration."

"You guys put a lot of work into stopping Ragnarok." Tony pointed out before frowning. "Two of the precursors have already occurred. How the hell am I supposed to stop it then?"

"Defeat the villains before they attack. Stop them from having any reason to destroy Asgard and the rest of the Nine Worlds." Frigga's voice went stern and commanding as she spoke. "You need to focus on that. Complete the job I have assigned to you."

"Yes, ma'am," Tony nodded with affirmation. "I should really go though; Steve will chew me out if I spend too much time here. Oh Thor, thanks for keeping this secret. I really don't want the team on my back right now. I'll tell them about my magical abilities soon enough."

"It has been my pleasure, Man of Iron. I thank you for stopping Loki before the royals of the Nine decided to lock him up for good. Only a select few of us knew of Ragnarok so they would not know that locking Loki up would result in it." the blonde god turned to Loki's door. "I will visit Midgard soon enough, but for now, I will speak with my sibling."

"I think Loki's in faer Jotun configuration now. Not sure about that though so be careful."

With that, Tony bowed his head to Frigga and took his leave, walking (not flying) to the Bifrost where Heimdall was waiting for him. "Your friends have taken their leave."

"No surprise. You can see everything that happens throughout the Nine, right?" the Bifrost guard nodded. "Could you see Loki these past few months?"

"He was hidden from me until recently but now I can see him and I will be able to see him until he decides to hide his trace from me once more. Next time he will have to hide all three of his traces." Tony nodded before pulling his visor down. "Are you ready to return to Midgard, Sorcerer?"

"Yeah. I'm ready."

When Tony arrived on Earth on the roof of his tower, he let the robots and machines take off the armor as he walked inside, ready to chug down a drink or two. Loki was a mess. A complete and total emotional mess and somewhere along the line, Tony decided he wanted to help clean up this mess, or at least tidy it. The man chuckled aloud as he grabbed a shot glass and a filled decanter, filling his glass with the acidic liquid. He liked this challenge though, being close with Loki and knowing only he could fix the god and learn from him. There were still kinks in the relationship they had to figure out--like making sure not to turn that intimate friendship bond into a real lover's bond--but Tony found pleasure knowing Loki also possibly wanted more.

"Hey Jarvis," Tony called, sipping from his cup, "do you think having a god as a boyfriend would be nice?"

"It depends on the god you speak of, sir, and what you consider nice." Tony rolled his eyes and refilled his glass, strolling through the room. "Also, I do not know if it would be appropriate or wise to mix work relationships with personal relationships. Especially when you are the one solution to stopping the end of the world and the god you are most likely speaking of is a psychopath."

"Jarvis, you know me too well."

If Jarvis were a person, he would be smirking. "It is my job to do so, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	9. Boundaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony spends some time recovering from the previous night's festivities but his way of recovering--armor refitting--doesn't last long if Loki has anything to do with it. He can't say he's not enjoying the alternative though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you believe endgame is so close?? next week!! next week the mcu as we know it is over ;__; it's been a good run with these characters :') anyway, this story still has a few more paths to tread so here is chapter 9 to continue forth!

Tony woke up too early the next day but decided to get started on fixing his suit while he was awake. Flying around crashing into buildings was not as fun as one might think, if anyone thought it was fun in the first place. Sighing with exhaustion, Tony walked on downstairs to his lab, already thinking of different ways he could modify his suit and better improve his new type of magic he had invented. He was thinking about a quick mind speak with Loki just to double check their bond as working and not a hoax but decided against it. Thor was in Loki's room and Loki was probably irritated and annoyed. While Tony wouldn't usually care if he mind spoke with Loki under those conditions he didn't want to deal with more pissy Loki. Lokasenna was enough for a lifetime.

"Hey Jarv, where'd the others go?" the brunette asked once he got down to his lab, rubbing at his eyes. Man, he was too tired.

"They are currently meeting with Director Fury about the occurrences in Asgard and what Fulla had told them." the AI system replied.

"They didn't invite me?" Tony walked over to his display case of suits with a frown. "Whatever. I've got bigger things to worry about. Tell me a bit about my magic overpowering my suit. I gotta figure out how that works and then make those improvements I planned out all those weeks ago. Actually, no. I'll read my edits myself. I think I was working on making my suit respond to magic."

Indeed he was. Looking at the plans, he saw that he was going to have his suit respond to the heat frequencies of his magic and the energy of his magic trace. Now he knew a bit more about traces and how they worked, so he could easily get started on that aspect of the suit. He knew his own magic trace so the hard part would be trying to figure out a way to translate the feeling of magic traces into scientific terms. Tony needed the suit to respond to him and he needed to find something that differed from Loki's magic trace since their magic traces were exactly the same.

Ah, he knew his elskath and that was different from Loki's. He could translate sparks of magic and magical charge into joules and volts respectively and let his suit turn on and respond only when it feels those two amounts nearby. Unfortunately, his sparks of magic per second would change over time as he used magic more often and his magic adapted to carry more sparks to be energy efficient. His magical charge would also change for the same reason. With that in mind, Tony would have to wait until his magic stabilized to power his suit based off his elskath because even though he had his magic under control it was still slightly unstable and very explosive. Once it calmed down after much usage, it would settle into a range and with that range he could then program his suit to respond to the correct frequencies.

For example, right now his elskath was 152 units, 1850 positive magical charge and 267 sparks per second. Over time as he used more magic, his magical charge could change to negative, which meant it was not highly charged and absorbed energy instead of using it. Endothermic versus exothermic reactions in a way. Over time, he could use up to 500 sparks per second if his magical charge was negative and he casted spells that need energy or if his magical charge was extremely high, like Loki's. He could use less than 267 sparks per second, which would only occur if his magical charge was extremely low and he rarely used magic. His magic would then stabilize into it's range. Say his magic was usually about 1850 to 1870 positive magical charge and he used around 267 to 321 sparks per second. The number used for his elskath would the median of each range. In this case of the example, his elskath would be 152 units, 1860 positive magical charge and 294 sparks per second.

Tony would have to program his suit to those ranges and the elskath derived from the ranges. One good thing about elskaths and _hugr_ was that one only had to _hugr_ once and that was it. Even if the other sorcerer's elskath statistics changed, he wouldn't need to  _hugr_ everyone all the changes. Elskaths and _hugr_ were connected with traces and so if one could feel the persons trace, the elskaths were automatically internally updated.

Magic was cool like that and Tony liked that part of it.

At the same time, he hated it because how could he get Jarvis and his suit to automatically update people's _elskaths_? He probably shouldn't install people's elskaths into Jarvis' system in the first place because people loved to steal his suits and try to steal his tech but what if he forgot someone's elskaths? What if he was fighting with the Avengers and Steve got injured and he had to heal him but then forgot the soldier’s elskath? Humans didn't have a magical trace tied to elskaths that would automatically internally update. Tony would have to memorize their _elskaths_  or at least the outcome of each equation for each one of his friends.

He really didn't want to do that if he didn't have to.

So he could have Jarvis track his trace, which would never change, but that just lead back to the issue of Loki having the same exact trace and Tony grew more frustrated. There was nothing inherently wrong with Loki being able to power Tony's suit other than the fact that Loki was a psychopathic god who could possibly end the world and Tony did not want to be a partial cause of that by allowing Loki access to his armor.

Tony had powered the suit back in Asgard by letting the magic in his arc reactor act like the Starkium energy in an arc reactor. He felt the magic, felt the energy within and around him in order to access his magic and used it by shooting it out of his palms. It was still a rough patch since his magic was very strong and sparks carried a lot more energy than Earth's standard units of energy. He would have to make a lot of conversions all across the board in order not overpower his suit. Tony could also concentrate the energy of his magic so it had lots of power despite not a lot of magic being used. He would have to somehow alter his magical charge for that to happen.

But first he could alter the amounts of energy and power the suit could handle. He too would also have to concentrate on the amount of magic he used when powering his suit. Maybe his suit had its' own elskath in a way. Or he could program into Jarvis and the suit the equivalent amounts of magic for each power level of his repulsors once he finished the conversions. Tony hummed to himself as he started making calculations, solving different ways to describe his magic and analyze it. He had just started working on the conversions when Jarvis alerted Tony to Pepper coming downstairs and he quickly snuffed out the magic sphere he was analyzing and deciphering, waving holographic charts away to bring up new ones that were mostly empty nonsensical data about arc reactor energy consumption.

"Pepper," he said cheerily, hugging the redhead once she entered the room. "Fury didn't invite me to the party he's having downstairs at SHIELD HQ."

"I see that. I just came here to make sure you're okay. You didn't come down with the others last night and I was worried for a second." Pepper pulled away from Tony and cocked her head at the papers and pens strewn about his working desk. "No tablet and only holographs? Starting something new then."

"Yeah, in a way. I learned the hard way that my suit and Asgard do not comply." the inventor motioned to his tattered suit that Dum-E had dragged into the lab from the Iron Man suit drop off zone a few feet away. "I'm thinking about create a space suit."

"Are you scared?" The man rose an eyebrow as Pepper stared at him, her brown eyes darkened with seriousness. "It's okay to be scared, Tony. I know it's frustrating having your arc reactor act up while Loki on the loose and the villains’ possible attack is in the near future. I'm sorry I can't help alleviate all the stress, but if you're scared, you can tell me."

Tony turned from her, looking down at the sketches he had made while making calculations. _Scared_. Was Tony Stark scared? Yes, he very much scared, but not for the reasons Pepper stated. He wasn't scared that the villains could attack sometime soon, with enough time he was sure he could create the tools necessary to battle the villains. Tony was scared that he wouldn't be able to stop it in the end. He wasn't scared that Loki was on the loose, Loki was only the beginning of what was next to come and everyone outside of the Avengers knew that. Tony was scared that he wouldn't be enough for Loki and that the god would end up leading the final battle after all. He was scared of messing everything up and at Pepper's words, reality and the sudden realization of what had been set on his shoulders hit him full force.

The man collapsed into his chair with a choked back noise, dragging shaking hands over his face as his breathing hiked up with his heart rate. Pepper quickly placed her papers to the side and knelt down beside him, rubbing his back as he struggled to get a handle on his breathing. _Was this a panic attack?_

"I don't even know why I'm reacting like this," he hiccupped, laughing as he took in big gulps of air. "It's not like it's just me doing this. Steve, Bruce, Clint, Natasha, and Thor will help. I can only do my best."

"And so you will," Pepper soothed, smiling up at Tony, "You _all_ will do the best you can to make sure those villains don't end the world. I don't know the details of Reginrock or whatever it's called, but I believe you can do this. You all can and will save the worlds. All nine of them."

"Thanks, Pep." Tony gave her a watery smile and opened his arms for a hug. The red head laughed and stood up, leaning down to accept the comforting hug. "Pepper?"

"Yeah?" she hummed, still embracing Tony as she rubbed the back of his head.

"How would you feel if I told you I'm thinking about moving on?" The woman ceased her movements and pulled away, grabbing Tony's face with her hands.

"I would feel great." she smiled warmly and hugged him once more. "It's about time you get over yourself on our relationship. There's someone out there who needs you in a romantic manner more than I do. There's someone who needs you more period than I do."

"Oh, thanks. I'm glad to know you don't need me as much as I thought." The words were gentle though and Pepper simply lightly smacked his shoulder. "But don't kill me no matter who it is."

Those words made Pepper's brown eyes narrow as she grabbed her papers. "You already have someone in mind. Spill it."

"I can't." Tony fidgeted slightly in his seat, unable to make eye contact with the woman. "Not yet at least. Trust me though you'll know soon enough. I haven't talked to him about it yet and I don't want to go about yapping because then he'll be like 'Stark, are you out of your mind' and then I'll be completely embarrassed because I thought he wanted more, too."

"I wouldn't care who you decide to be your next partner as long as he doesn't hurt you."

Well, that most definitely confirmed for Tony that Pepper would not like his choice of partner.

With those words Pepper kissed Tony on the forehead and left the room in silence. Tony let out a deep sigh and turned back to his work, not really in the mood to return to his science magic work. He managed to make two conversions but it was so tedious and frustrating working with an energy source that focused on such qualitative data as emotions and feelings. It would only get worse once he added the conversions to Jarvis and tested out his suit.

Boy, he couldn't wait for testing.

"Hey Jarvis, where'd I put my magic books?" the man asked as he stepped away from the desk. He wanted to read up a bit on traces and magic like bond magic that uses traces. Maybe he could even find a trace tracking spell since Loki never ended up teaching Tony one like the god said he would.

"Where they usually are," the AI system replied, unamused. Tony nodded and walked over to a shelf and scanned the titles carefully, humming once more as he grabbed three books and sat back down at his desk.

The first book didn't having anything on trace tracking spells, but it did go a bit into the details of bond magic and how bonds can break. Tony started to read that section, but stopped, noting that learning about bond magic wasn't going to help him prepare his suit for Ragnarok and defeating the villains before anything gets more complicated.

The second book had a bit more useful information including a list of different types of magic throughout the different forms of magic that used traces as their basis, rather than the magic itself. There was bond magic, as Tony already knew, elementary clone magic, configuration magic, duplication magic, trace manipulation magic (only for Aesir magic), and many others Tony didn't bother to look into much. There was nothing about how to actually _track_ a trace, so he tossed that book to the side.

The last book didn't have a trace tracking spell, but it did have an explanation of how to mind speak, “conversing through traces” as the book called it. Each sorcerer, sorceress, or magical being had a magic mind: a particular section of themselves that contained their trace, essence of magic and basically everything that made them magical. It was like an extra set of chromosomes that didn't harm their genetic makeup but most humans, along with every other living thing on Midgard, didn't have it. Some people on Earth carried magic minds but they were dormant and could not react to magic.

Anyway, this magic mind contained the trace and if one focused on the target's magic mind, they could open the other person's mind for conversation, amongst other things like mind reading and control of the other person's magic. One could only reach another's magic mind with three things: their trace, their elskath, and a strong stable bond regardless of what type of bond it is. Consent to reach the magic mind is also needed and like password protection, some magic people might have some type of spell needed to be cast in order to reach their magic mind. Tony hoped Loki didn't have a spell. He didn't think the god would; after all, not many people had the basic three things needed to open his magic mind.

It all seemed very vulnerable to Tony, but that could be just him. Perhaps magical people of other worlds didn't have many strong bonds with those they also _hugr_ with. Traces were pretty easy to pick up; it was the other two that needed work to receive.

Tony closed his eyes and focused on Loki's trace, humming Loki's magic melody as well. He thought about the god's three forms of magic and pictured each one in his head as he reached out mentally and magically with his own magic mind, which was pretty impressive. It was an influx of color and sounds, a maze of wonder and astonishment. It was absolutely confusing but made brilliant sense. That was the essence of magic and he used that as he reached out for Loki.

" _Don't you even think about it, Thor, or I swear I will let myself kill you like I've been itching to do for the past hour_."

Tony froze, opening his eyes. Loki didn't sound like Loki. Well, he did sound like Loki, but more female. Was Loki still in faer Jotun form?

" _Stop, no; don't bring that up, please, Mother, no._ " Tony felt a flood of embarrassment at those words and found himself blushing even though he had no idea why he was embarrassed or what he was embarrassed at. " _By the Nine, no! I can't. Mother, don't you make me say it! I will not say it! No, I am switching configurations now, you've earned it._ "

Tony felt this horrible pang in his head and he grabbed at his skull, wincing as the pain increased and then suddenly vanished. He felt a different pang in his head that let him know that Loki was using magic and he reached out again through the maze of confusion, finding relief when Loki answered.

" _Stark_?" he said as if confused.

" **Yeah, it's me. I'm testing out my mind speak skills right now. Seems like it worked this time**."

" _This time?_ "

" **I did it earlier, but you were in Jotun configuration I think, so I just heard a jumble of words**."

" _Ah, yes, my magic mind concerning my Jotun magic is still very much weak_ ," Loki sounded extremely embarrassed. " _You were probably reading faer mind, I'm not sure_."

" **But I reached out toward you, Loki the Aesir**."

" _While mindset changes midst morph, the magic mind always stays. It makes it easier for spells and such. Not many people have configurations though so I highly doubt it has been looked into much._ " Tony nodded before he returned to the book. " _Why did you call for me? Thor and Mother just left and I believe I am strong enough to maintain a conversation with you without passing out with the effort. Luckily, you're performing most of the work, opening my magic mind and keeping it open while we speak_."

" **Oh** ," the mortal sorcerer frowned slightly as he traced a few runes in the book. " **I wanted to ask you about trace tracking spells. You said you were going to teach me that.** "

" _Yes, I did. It's fairly simple and since you've grasped the basic concept of the magic mind it will be easier to explain now._ "

" **Come down here and explain it for me. I'd rather we speak face to face. Consider it a make-up lesson for the one skipped during Lokasenna.** "

Loki laughed lightly at that. Tony could just imagine the god's smile. " _Alright, but only because you want me to and I feel bad for causing so much trouble._ "

" **It's nothing really. I'm just glad you're okay and that the bond is back. I shouldn't have told you about Baldr and I'm sorry about that**."

" _Thor would've done so if you hadn't. I'd rather it come from you, Stark._ "

Loki ended the call there and Tony pondered over that last sentence. Wouldn't Loki want to hear of his brother's death from Thor? Thor was his other brother and the three Odinsons grew up together. Tony knew nothing about Baldr but the myths of his dreams and his impending death. He barely knew Loki himself, only that the god hated Thor, tried to subjugate Midgard, and a ton of little things about the god's magic and Jotun origin.

A minute or so later, Tony spotted a flash of green from the corner of his eye and turned, surprised to find Loki there so soon. The sorcerer god was dressed in armor, but there wasn't much gold to it and it wasn't really combat wear as much as it was formal prince armor wear or something along those lines.

"New armor?" Tony teased as the god took a seat, eyes closed as he placed his feet on the desk.

"Old armor. I wore it when Thor and I first went to Jotunheim. Before I found out of my heritage." green eyes opened and turned toward Tony before they looked up at the ceiling. "You want to know a trace tracking spell, correct?"

"Yeah, like how to track someone's magic trace. I understand you can feel when someone is using their magic, but can't you track it down through the trace?"

"It starts off by knowing the basis of the magic mind." Loki pointed to his temple. "When you know someone's trace, you can always feel when they use magic. You may not necessarily have access to their magic mind, but you always have access to yours. One's magic mind is a section of Ginnungagap meant for themselves. Ginnungagap is always around and in us so we use it to our advantage. Everyone's magic leaves trails in Ginnungagap and by accessing your magic mind, you can see Ginnungagap and see the magic all around you, including your own." Loki closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "When you contacted me, what did you see and feel?"

"Confusion. Lots of colors and confusion. It didn't make any sense, it was like a maze of magic or something. Disoriented, but in the confusion, it made magic make sense if you get what I mean. Despite the distortion or anything like that, it was like seeing Ginnungagap during teleportation." Loki nodded with approval and spun in the chair, legs slipping off the desk in the process.

"Good. That is the essence of Ginnungagap. When you saw colors, you may have seen blue swirls, which is your magic. Try reaching for my magic mind once more and tell me if you see any other colors.”

Tony raised an eyebrow but didn’t protest as he closed his eyes and reached out again. He saw Ginnungagap again as he was supposed to, and also saw other swirls of colors besides blue. Red and green joined in the mix. He coughed as if he was choking and quickly opened his eyes, a hand at his chest. Loki was smirking in the chair, flickers of green on the tips of his elegant fingers. “What the hell happened?”

“There is another source of magic nearby and your magic mind detects it. Lock your concentration on it and then you will be able to track my trace so you have a general idea of where I am while using my magic.”

“Oh, so like a built in GPS for magic, I see.” Loki quirked an eyebrow, but said no more as he climbed out of the chair.

Tony could see that the god was very much still exhausted and pained as Loki stood, wincing a little as he stood on both legs. The god wasn’t as pale as before, but his semi-rosy hew was mostly gone and replaced by a pale peach. He still looked handsome, but one could tell at first sight that Loki was not in good health. The sparks of magic on Loki’s fingers grew slightly as the god walked through the lab, green eyes trained on Tony. The man didn’t close his eyes this time around and watched as a light trail of green lead from the chair to Loki’s current position. The god waved a hand and an orb of green floated in the air before it soared through the air, also leaving a trail of green. Loki closed his eyes and created another orb, which left a red trail despite the magic being green.

“That’s pretty awesome! But, what if you’re not nearby? Like in a different realm or something. How do I track your trace down then?”

“The same way. Since you have their trace, you know the feeling of their magic. Ginnungagap will show you the way.” The god trailed off slightly, before collapsing to his knees, all the magic in the air dispersing. Tony ran over to him and started to help him back up, but Loki shook his head and pushed him away. “It is nothing to worry about, Stark. I am still getting used to the ability to morph and the different energy levels of my new magics.”

“I forgot about that.” Tony stood there awkwardly as Loki struggled back onto his feet.

“It is not just that. Midgard deteriorates magic.” Realization struck Tony quickly at those words, “and I do not have that scepter to help it stay stable and strong without having to reacquaint myself with Ginnungagap.”

“How did the scepter help keep your magic strong?”

“In the same manner that your arc reactor keeps your magic strong.” Tony raised an eyebrow as Loki sat back down, green eyes closed as the god took deep breaths, sparks of green flashing around him. “Your arc reactor carries most of your magic inside. It protects your magic from the outside world where there is no magic in the air. The rest of your magic that is not in the arc reactor is dying out and loses its' power. There is no need to worry though; as soon as you are in touch with Ginnungagap, whether through teleportation or your magic mind, your magic comes back.”

“So, that blue orb held your magic inside.” Loki nodded slowly, the intensity of the green sparks increasing. “Why was it blue though if your magic is green?”

“It's more powerful than my own magic.” The god’s voice was very hollow there. “Also, it was enchanted to enhance my magic and give it more power and positive magical charge. Blue stands for power as you already know. In a way, the orb was also a catalyst, allowing me to perform complex spells that would usually need more positive magical charge. The downside was that I had to constantly use my magic every minute of the day.”

“Why is that?”

“The increase in magical charge made my magic extremely powerful and explosive, if you wish to put it that way. In order to not combust or lose the control I had over it, I had to constantly use it at high sparks per second. I believe at one point before my arrival here, my elskath was 112, 5988-plus and 617 sparks per second.” Tony’s eyes widened dramatically as those green eyes reopened and looked back up at the ceiling. “It was damaging to my body; such high charge was unusual and unhealthy for a Jotun, even if I was using Aesir magic, which can usually tolerate high charge and usage of magic.”

“Damn, that’s very unhealthy period,” Tony pointed out, watching Loki with careful brown eyes. “You look exhausted. I shouldn’t keep you here explaining this.”

“I enjoy it.” Loki turned to face Tony with a soft smile, “And you enjoy it as well, so I might as well keep both parties happy.”

“There’s another way to do so that doesn’t include so much talking.” Tony froze slightly at his words as Loki raised a suggestive eyebrow. He really hoped his face was red as he took the god’s hand. “C’mon, I’ll take you on a tour of the tower before you go.”

“But what about the Avengers?” the god questioned as he let Tony pull him out of the seat. Tony bit the inside of his cheek as the god lost some balance and leaned up against him, chests pressed together as they stood face to face. “Pardon me, the teleportation has weakened me more than I thought it would.”

“It’s fine.” Tony smiled forcefully as Loki pulled away with a chuckle, brushing black locks from his pale face. Loki brushed the strands of hair behind his ear and Tony found his eyes trained on the god’s hand, noticing how long his fingers were and how pristine his nails were and how gorgeous his glowing white skin was. “Uh,” he stuttered, turning away from Loki once those bright green eyes locked with his own brown ones. “Let’s go upstairs. The others are in a meeting with Fury and so they won’t be out for a while.”

Loki’s brow furrowed, but he let the mortal sorcerer drag him upstairs into the room he had previously spoken with Tony in back during the invasion. This was where the Avengers mostly hung out, here in the “main room” as they called it. Steve, Bruce and Clint had rooms down the hall from the main room while Tony had one he never used on the floor below this one and Natasha was upstairs. On the occasion when Thor bunked over, his room was also upstairs with Natasha. Loki walked over to the floor-ceiling windows and stared out at the city before him. Tony followed and watched a frown form on the god’s lips. “Midgard has changed much since my last visit.”

“It hasn’t been that long really, only a few months. Five, I think.”

“I do not consider my attack a visit, Stark,” the god’s voice was slightly irritated as he turned to the brunette. “You have read or heard of the legends of Asgard and such, correct?”

“Yeah, I read up on things after the invasion. I figured it would be best to be prepared for more gods who decided to try to take over Earth.” Loki snorted as he turned back toward the window.

“Most of those tales are true. Somewhat at least.”

“Including the one of the horse?” the god’s face turned extremely red as he quickly turned toward Tony, who was wiggling his eyebrows with a wide smirk.

“That is a complete falsehood; I know not where that tale came from.” Loki scowled, face only getting redder. Tony only snickered, which made Loki blush more. “There is no way possible I would bend over for a horse; Svadilfari wasn’t even that strong.”

“So, Sleipnir’s not real?”

Loki opened his mouth to retort, but closed it as he turned, his back facing the window as he took on a contemplative look. “Sleipnir is very much real. He is Odin’s royal steed now.” Loki’s voice took a stiff tone before he turned back to Tony. “And he _is_ my son, that much is correct.”

“How do you get a son that’s a horse? Are you really his mother?” Loki’s face turned redder at that as he stared out at the room, making sure not to lock eyes with Tony. “Then how did it happen?”

“Drop the subject, Stark.”

“I’m gonna assume you willingly had sex with a horse until you tell me otherwise.”

“I did no such thing." Loki hissed and stormed from the window, a snickering Tony right behind him. “Shut it, Stark. The only reason why you are still alive is because you’re the Midgardian Sorcerer.”

“And because you like me and you know just how boring your life would be without me.” Tony teased as Loki sat down, shaking his head with amusement. “Are you hungry? I’m hungry. I don’t think I ate today. Jarvis, did I eat today?”

“No, sir, you have yet to consume any food today.”

“Alright then. Order some pizza and then tell me when the delivery man comes.” Jarvis replied with an affirmative and Loki wrinkled his brow with confusion. “It’s Midgard food; you’ll love it. Everyone does. Until then, we are going to watch a movie.”

“A movie?” Loki questioned, watching as Tony turned on the television with a whistle. “I thought you were giving me a tour of the tower.”

“I changed my mind; that's not illegal to do, right? I don't really feel like moving my legs anymore and you shouldn't be too active right now." Tony leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "I don’t think the world will mind if we rest for a day and the day’s almost over anyway. So, what do you want to watch? _Back to the Future_? Steve loves that, by the way. I don't even know why. Oh, wait, no, how about _The Matrix_? That's a good one."

Loki blinked as Tony got the movie together, watching the mortal man with inquisitive eyes. He chuckled to himself. "At times, I can not believe they have put so much faith in you."

Tony looked over from putting the disc in the DVD player, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Who's they?"

"Asgard. Vanaheim. All Nine Worlds to be exact." Loki smiled softly. "I can not say I am an exception."

"Glad to hear you now have more trust in my magic." the man plopped back onto the couch with a grin. "Alright, prepare to have your mind blown. Not literally of course but just sit back and watch Neo do his thing."

Loki nodded and said no more once the movie got started. Tony watched the god, who looked pretty entertained during the movie, but then suddenly, everything started to go downhill. Loki placed his plate of pizza down and glared at the television, a small snarl dressing his lips. Tony stopped the movie and watched the god climb off the couch with stiff movements and obvious irritation. "Uh," Tony started, spinning in his seat to watch the god walk to the stairs that led to the lab. "Where are you going?"

"Away."

"But why?"

Loki stopped as he stepped on the first step, turning to Tony with steely green eyes. "I can not watch that movie any longer. I'm returning to Asgard."

"No, you can't go yet. C'mon, what's got you so upset? I don't know why you're so angry, it's just a movie."

The god's face contorted into anger before exhaustion took over and he slumped against the wall, sitting on the steps. "She used to say the same things to me."

"Who is she," the brunette sat on his knees on the couch, leaning on the edge of the cushioned seat, chin on his hands, "because you are seriously confusing me."

" _'Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony'_. _'I can only show you the door. You have to walk through it'_." Loki stared into space, eyes slightly glazed over. "Fulla used to love me. She used to care even though she hated me. I never understood why she was so unforgiving to me and why she suddenly started to care. Fulla would say such things to me when she took care of me and Thor. Little tips of advice to help me later in life. I took them lightly, too lightly, and now I'm in this," the god paused, searching for a word to explain the situation, "predicament."

"Well, think about it," Tony started, walking toward Loki. "I know it gets you upset, but it applies to what's happening right now with Ragnarok. We're trying to make sure you don't lead the army. We're going to make sure Ragnarok does not happen. It's like what Morpheus said: ' _Sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, that there's a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path_.' You've got to start walking yours, Loki. The path you want to walk down not the one you think is fated for you."

The god's eyes glazed over as Tony knelt next to him, leaning against the wall shoulder to should with Loki. "She didn't like the idea of a Jotun in the royal family and tried so hard to dislike me. Just when she could finally accept me, I end up ruining it all with that whole stint back when Thor was banished. I only sealed the deal of her not liking me with the invasion. I believe she told me those things as a hint toward what the volva have predicted for me to do. I would never understand though and now, I do, but it is too late. Fulla has given up on me. She doesn't believe I can teach you to be prepared and in turn, not start Ragnarok."

"We will both prove her wrong on that then," Tony patted the top of Loki's head and the god gave him a look. "C'mon, we'll get some chocolate and watch something else that shouldn't be so emotion inducing."

The two ended up watching _Rent_ while eating rocky road ice cream.

Loki had calmed down and was currently cuddling against Tony, his head against the man's shoulder. Tony looked over at Loki and smiled, pleased that the god was relaxing for what seemed like the first time in years. Loki's hair was pulled back into a ponytail--Tony did it because he claimed he didn't want Loki to get ice cream in his hair, but he really just wanted an excuse to run his fingers through the god's locks. Green eyes were trained on the musical before them, bright and concentrated on the scenes unfolding. The god had changed clothing earlier after the whole _Matrix_ and Fulla incident, now wearing a simple green tunic and black leather pants.

Tony brushed a loose strand of raven black hair from Loki's forehead and watched those green eyes turn toward him with curiosity. The god's face gained a rosy hue and his cheeks and nose were bright red as he smiled up at Tony. The man himself froze when Loki reached a tender hand out and brushed his thumb across Tony's lips. Tony immediately flushed at the contact and looked away, unable to keep eye contact. His mind was racing and the blood was going other places now and _oh_. Loki needed to get off him this instant.

"You had something on your face," Loki explained, also sounding a bit embarrassed at his actions. More shows of affection, anyone?

"It's nothing," Tony mumbled, finally looking over at Loki, who's eyes were trained on the movie where Mimi was dancing at the club, singing about her stripper job. Red stained the god's cheeks as he ate his ice cream, still up against Tony and Tony suddenly realized that this was a date.

He was having a date with _Loki_.

"Loki," he said, distracting the god from watching Mimi distract Roger, "you do realize that this is sort of a date, right?"

Loki crinkled his brow and _oh'd_ with realization before shrugging, returning his attention to the movie. "It may be if you wish it to. I wouldn't mind either way."

Did Loki just give him the green light on them dating?

Tony didn't say anything, still trying to wrap his head around Loki's words. He suddenly became more aware of how close Loki was and found himself blushing again. Why was he so embarrassed, it wasn't anything he hadn't subconsciously thought about before. Loki wasn't anyone to be embarrassed about liking, least of all for Tony. Loki placed down his ice cream bowl on the table and started humming _Today for You_ as he untied his hair. Tony joined in with untying the god's hair so Loki could watch the movie with little distraction--Tony himself had already seen it plenty of times; don't ask why--and found himself leaning against the arm of the couch with Loki between his legs.

They watched the movie in silence, Tony's brain on shutdown as he watched the god between his legs, and  _wow;_  that was a thought that completely went down the gutter and got him flustered again. He found himself massaging Loki's scalp toward the end of the movie, the god humming along with _Seasons of Love_. Tony joined in too toward the end of the song and was practically glowing inside when Loki looked up at him with a grin, and damn, the height difference was messing up Tony's brain because all he had to do was lean down slightly, just a bit, and then he could finally feel those lips against his own and claim what he had thought about before.

It would have happened. It _could_ have happened. But the hesitation of wondering if Loki was sending the wrong signals was ill-timed as Jarvis scared the shit out of Tony, causing the man to tumble off the arm of the couch. Loki leaned over the arm and smirked down at Tony, who was grumbling as he climbed off the wooden floor.

"What did you say again, Jarvis?"

"The debriefing with Fury is over and the Avengers are currently on their way to this floor."

Loki's eyes narrowed and he turned questioning eyes to Tony, who was panicking as he tried to figure out a way to hide Loki. "I could teleport away," Loki sugessted, "although my magic may be too weak for that without a booster."

"Don't worry about that; follow me." Tony grabbed Loki's hand and ran with him down a hall to the bedroom he usually ended up sleeping in after a nightly event with the Avengers. "You stay in here and keep your mouth shut. They can't know you're here."

"That is pretty obvious, Anthony," Loki drawled and Tony grinned inwardly at Loki's use of his first name even though he typically hated it and preferred Tony. The man hesitantly leaned forward but gave in to temptation and pressed a kiss to the god's cheek before he could take the thought back. He shut the door before he could get a good glance at Loki's reaction and walked to the main room. The Avengers were just filing out of the elevator as he turned the corner.

"You guys are finally back from the party you didn't invite me to." the brunette teased as he splayed out on the couch, turning off the movie.

"Looks like you had a party here yourself." Clint pointed out, motioning to the pizza box and the ice cream bowls.

"Solo pity parties are awesome. I even watched _Rent_."

Bruce snorted at that as Clint rolled his eyes. Natasha spoke up. "We were going to include you but Fury demanded you stay in bed. He said something about you deserving your rest."

Suspicions arose in Tony's head; did Fury somehow know he was the Midgardian Sorcerer? "Why did he say that? Everyone knows Fury hates me and would probably love to antagonize me during an insanely long debriefing."

"You came in late last night with a destroyed suit. He figured you would be the most stressed given that you were panicking when you got back on Earth to get us." Bruce answered and all that did was ring more of Tony's suspicion bells.

"There's something you're not telling me." the man noticed Clint and Natasha exchange glances, so yeah, there was definitely something they were not telling him.

"Fury wants to send you up to Asgard as a spy and keep you there until Ragnarok." Steve blurted out, blue eyes full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Tony; I tried to tell him you were much needed here, not in Asgard, and that being off-world was probably not an ideal situation for you."

"It's totally fine, I get it. Fury wants me out of his skin." How convenient it was this time. "Asgard seemed pretty cool until Loki attacked. I'll hang out with Thor; we'll be armor buddies and I can get good intel."

Steve looked pretty hurt at Tony's quick acceptance of the notion of moving to Asgard. "Do you really want to move to Asgard?"

" _They ask a good question, Stark_ ," Loki's voice added to the confusion rushing through his head, " _Would you really want to live amongst gods a mere human?_ "

" **I'd be with you.** " he replied, smiling as he felt a rush of embarrassment from Loki.

" _W_ _ho says I would even want that in the first place?_ "

“ **I do. Plus actions speak louder than words.** ”

“Tony?” Bruce questioned, raising a confused eyebrow as Tony became distracted with his banter with Loki.

“Oh," he mentally berated himself for the lapse in focus and crossed his arms with a shrug. "Asgard is a doable option for residence if Fury wants me gone that bad. Spying can turn out to be my new hobby though I’m not the best spy so maybe Natasha should go. Why me?”

“Because you’re an Avenger, Asgard already trusts you, and no one would suspect you of spying.” Steve replied, voice sounding so guilty with every word. “Fury fears that Asgard is making up Ragnarok to get all the other worlds to plead for Asgard’s protection and unite with Asgard.”

“What makes him think that?”

“The prospect of there being a Midgardian Sorcerer.” Natasha replied this time, brown eyes trained on Tony. “No one on Earth can use magic; we don’t have it. It’s impossible for there to be someone who uses magic here and if there were someone who could use magic Fury would know already.”

“I still don’t get how this ties in with me spying on Asgard.”

“He wants someone already acquainted with Asgard to spy and see how true these rumors of the fabled Midgardian Sorcerer are. If Ragnarok is really coming, then who is the Midgardian Sorcerer and how come no one has seen him? If the fables are simply spread lies to unite the worlds so Asgard has power over them, then we need to know so Earth doesn’t get tossed into the mix.”

“Why would you even think Asgard would do such a thing? Why would such a rumor be spread about to accomplish the goal of power over the Nine Worlds?”

“Asgard is the land of the _war_ gods, Tony,” Clint responded, turning to exchange glances with Natasha and Bruce, “They’ve done stuff like this before. Go pillaging through worlds establishing their power. Thor used to just randomly kill people that didn’t agree with him. Odin tricked people into getting killed by Thor. Ragnarok is a war. They either want this or spread rumors about it to get people on their side. Until we get more information about this, Fury’s very suspicious and wants a spy up there.”

“I’m betraying Odin's trust doing that and if Asgard is the land of the war gods like you say, when they find out--not if, when because we both know they will find out--Earth can expect an intergalactic war on our hands.”

“ _Stark, do it._ ”

“ **What?** ” Tony almost spoke aloud as he heard Loki’s voice.

“ _I want you to accept the deal. Spy on Asgard and prove that Ragnarok is not a farce. Then tell Fury of your occupation as the Midgardian Sorcerer._ ”

“ **He’ll chew me out if I do** **that!** " Tony wasn't sure if his voice carried the pout he wanted it to have. " **Then he’ll kill me when he finds out I’ve been with you these past few weeks. No one can know, Loki. Not until the villains attack if I don’t get to them first.** ”

“ _Then tell Odin the truth. Tell him Midgard is distrustful and wants proof._ ”

“ **That defeats the whole point of spying.** ”

Loki sounded exasperated. “ _You have no time for lessons or searching for villains if you spend your time lurking around Asgard for the exact proof you carry in your blood, Stark. Accept the spying deal, tell Odin of Midgard’s suspicions, and let Fury know who you really are._ ”

Tony let out a held back groan as he grabbed at his hair, flopping onto his back with irritation. “ **God damn it, Loki; you are going to be the death of me.** ”

“ _Your words are too true._ ”

“ **Stop it right there; you are not going to be the harbinger of Ragnarok. Not over my dead body."**  He paused and shook his head to himself. **"Don't take that seriously; I'm not going to die keeping you from leading the army.** ”

Loki chuckled lightly, his airy laugh ringing in the back of Tony’s head. “ _I believe in your perseverance if nothing else._ "

“ **What did I do to deserve this change of heart?** ” the man smiled as he ignored his friends who were explaining the details of the meeting with Fury to him.

" _It is no change of heart. Even when we first met, your willingness to fight Thor to keep me in your captivity was fascinating to me. You are always focused on accomplishing the task at hand, even to the point of launching devastatingly destructive weapons into space, and it is,_ " Loki paused, " _admirable_."

“ **Don’t tell me the god of fire and mischief has gone soft for a mortal.** ”

“ _By the Nine, of course not, and if I had, it certainly would not be you. I only have focus on your commitment._ ”

“ **Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetheart.** ”

“ _Sweetheart?_ ”

“ **You don’t like that pet name? Then how about honey? Or sweetie pie? Darling, my love, sweetcheeks, babe. It's your pick of the litter.** "

“ _I pick none of the above._ ”

“ **Babe it is. Let’s test it out.** ”

“ _No, get your friends out of the vicinity so I can get out of this room once and for all._ ”

Tony tuned into the conversation and found Clint and Steve discussing the details on Thor's misdirection at the palace. He chuckled to himself. “ **Ain’t gonna happen, babe. They want to give me the rundown and it'd be rude to ignore their side of the story.** ”

Loki growled. “ _You are not paying attention to them because your irritating mind is distracted by me, who had stated previously not to call me_ _babe, Stark._ ”

“ **Then don’t call me Stark, babe.** ”

“ _You are more infuriating than Thor getting drunk_ ,” the god spat, but his words were laced with affection and teasing.

“ **I try my best.** ”

“ _I can tell. Only you would try so hard to get under my skin._ ”

“ **Or under something else** ,” Tony tried to hide the smirk that crawled onto his lips as Loki went off on a tirade. “ **Calm down, my love, I only tease because you make it so fun.** ”

“ _What did I say about the pet names, Stark?_ ”

“ **Someone’s getting feisty** ,” Tony purred, getting an influx of embarrassment from Loki.

“ _I am not_ getting _anything._ ”

“ **You aren’t? No wonder why you’re so high strung all the time. I would totally try to take over a couple worlds if I wasn’t getting any.** ”

“ _Stark!_ ”

“ **Stop yelling my name and save that for the bedroom.** ”

More embarrassment from Loki. “ _Consider this call over._ ”

“ **Does the thought of you and I disgust you so much you’re hanging up on me?** ” That was partially playful, but Tony knew he had a serious tone in the message as well.

Loki didn’t reply for a little while and when he did, his voice was off. He sounded like he was coming to a new conclusion he wasn't sure he wanted to reveal but felt it important to convey the message either way. “ _Quite the opposite actually._ ”

Tony couldn’t tell if that was sarcasm or not but he couldn’t ask since Loki ended the call. He turned to his friends, who were arguing between themselves now, completely ignoring Tony, who was fine with the lack of attention for once. He stepped from the couch, gathering their attention, and started cleaning up the mess he and Loki had left.

“I’ll be the spy and figure out who this Midgardian Sorcerer is and report it to Fury. Don’t worry; unlike Thor I’ll visit. Besides I shouldn’t be gone long. It won’t take much effort to find out if Ragnarok is real or not.”

Steve nodded with approval. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

“Don’t fret, Capsicle. I won’t be leaving immediately; I have to fix up my suit and who knows how long that will take,” Tony turned away from the blonde soldier and picked up Loki’s ice cream bowl. “Until then, make the most of your time with me.”

The brunette turned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the group of heroes, most of whom rolled their eyes with fond exasperation. The Avengers soon dispersed after awkward goodbyes; none of them knew if they would see Tony again anytime soon and by then, he could be gone and up in Asgard. Once the others were out of sight, Tony finished cleaning up and went to the bedroom Loki was in, finding the god laying on the bed with green and red orbs floating around him. The god was concentrated on whatever he was doing, green eyes slightly glazed over until Tony shut the door. Loki turned toward him and scowled before waving a hand, all the magic disappearing and seeping into the ambient air.

“How long do you plan on staying here until you go to Asgard?” Loki asked, climbing off the bed as Tony walked toward him.

“Until I finish my suit like I told them.” The man shrugged and plopped onto the bed, looking up at Loki, who was hovering over him, arms crossed. “What’s up?”

“It is getting late and I fear Mother and Thor are worrying over me,” green eyes turned up to the ceiling. “I am still not strong enough to teleport myself over and I wish not to place such a burden on you given that the task may kill you.”

“Then stay here for the night.” Loki turned on Tony with wide eyes. “No one knows you’re here and no one will suspect me of being on this floor anyway. I told them I’m working on my suit so I’m sure they think I’m downstairs.”

Loki narrowed his eyes at Tony, but agreed with a sigh, sitting down beside the man as he picked at his armor awkwardly. Tony rolled over and got back on his feet, walking over to the dresser. “I know for sure you don’t sleep in armor; I mean, seriously, how could you sleep in that stuff? Since you’re staying the night, I figure I should give you some random stuff to wear to bed. What do you say to that?”

“If that is alright with you, I am fine with that plan.” Tony turned to look over at Loki, who looked quite confused, yet slightly amused. The man tossed over a t-shirt and a pair of sweats, wondering when those found their way here given he rarely used this room. Loki scowled. “You want me to wear this?”

“It’s all I’ve got; take it or leave it. Magic on some Asgardian sleep wear if it's that repulsive to wear human clothes; I don’t really care.” Loki snorted as Tony grabbed a different shirt and proceeded to put it on, back facing Loki. “Do you have an estimate for how long it’ll take for the villains to attack?”

“No,” the god replied, his voice slightly muffled. Tony turned with a raised eyebrow as he straightened his shirt, ceasing in his actions as Loki pulled off his green tunic. _Oh_. “I can only assume it is soon even though I am not locked up or anything along those lines. Perhaps it will not occur as long as I am not bound up. I know not. I highly doubt the villains will abide by the preset rules of Ragnarok, especially if the seers told a prophecy of a Midgardian Sorcerer who is to save us all.”

“Good point,” Tony mumbled, averting his gaze as Loki tugged on the t-shirt he had passed over. “I think tomorrow I should go scouting for these villains. Try to find some clues. Maybe ask a couple of those cat burglars if they’ve heard anything.”

“Cat burglars?” Loki questioned, looking up at Tony with confusion.

“Before this whole magic thing I used to go around fighting neighborhood crime. Really cheap stuff nowhere close to the magnitude of damage you made.” The god nodded with a small smirk. “Sometimes, we team up with this kid Peter Parker, but he doesn’t really hang around much. I’m sure he’ll come in handy for Ragnarok though. I think every superhero will.”

“There are more heroes than just the Avengers?”

“There's lots of superheroes on Earth, my team just hadn’t grouped up until you arrived. The Avengers' Initiative has been a plan since Steve was created but there just wasn't enough people willing to make it happen until recently." Loki nodded to himself at that. "Solo is more my style, anyway; I tend not to work well with others.”

“I can see why one would think that.” Tony sent a playful glare Loki’s way as he climbed onto the left side of the bed. “I tend to work solo myself but before then, I was Thor’s traveling companion and occasionally fought with Sif and the Warriors Three.”

“Now look at us. Two assholes working together to save the Nine.”

Loki laughed aloud at that, also climbing onto his side of the bed. “The Nine should be worried with the hands they have placed their survival in.”

Silence soon took over as the realization sunk in that they were in a bed together. Alone. They were completely on opposite sides on their backs, tension in the air as they forced themselves not to turn. Tony bit his bottom lip as he closed his eyes, wondering why in the world he thought it was a good idea to do this. It was getting uncomfortable and awkward too fast and Tony still couldn’t get the image of half-naked Loki out his head so it wasn't helping him calm down enough to sleep.

“Have I told you the story of when Thor had to dress up as a bride to retrieve Mjolnir?”

Tony turned his head to look over at Loki, who was still looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t think you have.”

Loki grinned, turning his head as well to lock eyes with Tony. “It was years ago and we were quite young for Aesir. My magic was strong, but I had little control over it and found myself more a master of combat magic like Odin than shapeshifting magic or other types of magic. Thor had just recently received Mjolnir as his combat weapon. He used to have a sword but once Mjolnir was in his hands, he loved the poor thing immensely. He kept her by his bedside to keep it company and declared that anyone who would steal his hammer would be on his bad side.

“Needless to say, one day Thor woke up and his hammer was gone. He came to me an angry mess, asking me why I had stolen the hammer. I told him I hadn’t taken it; I couldn’t lift it for my life. We went to Frigga, who told us she knew not who could lift the hammer and take it. Fulla and Hlin said the same so we decided to visit Freyr and Freya and ask them about the hammer. They both said they hadn’t seen it and knew of no one who could lift it but Thor and Odin. Freya did lend me her hawk cloak, which allowed any sorcerer or sorceress wearing it to turn into a hawk. I donned it and proceeded to Jotunheim after hearing gossip of a mountain giant who bragged about stealing the legendary hammer of Asgard from right under the elder prince’s nose.”

Tony noticed that he was laying on his side now, facing Loki as the god did the same. The gap between them was slowly getting smaller as Loki told the story.

“I went to the giant, whose name was Thrym and was coincidentally the king of the mountain giants. I asked him while under a disguise if he would return the hammer to Thor. Thrym said he would only return the hammer if he could have Freya as his wife. I returned to Asgard and announced the giants’ proposal, which outraged Freya. She would not marry a giant just to return Thor’s hammer and avidly protested against the idea. No one knew what to do and I was still sore from Thor automatically thinking I was the one who had stolen the hammer. So, I proposed an idea.” Loki’s devilish smirk donned his lips as he lightly chuckled. “I told Odin and the others that Thor should dress up as Freya and retrieve the hammer himself. They both had blonde and blue eyes and as long as Thor didn’t speak, everything could go according to plan. Thor was outraged and vocally protested the idea. Unfortunately for him, Odin, Frigga, Fulla and the others agreed with me. As a compromise, because I also felt bad for the blonde oaf, I agreed to join Thor as a bridesmaid.”

“You dressed up as well?” Tony exclaimed, watching Loki nod as he smiled with amusement.

“Indeed. The royal maids of the palace spent days working on our dresses, making them the most luxurious and elegant wedding dresses I had ever seen. Thor was livid the whole time, as he had the most fitting done and the more extravagant dress. Once the dresses were complete, Thor and I traveled over to Jotunheim and to Thrym’s house where the mountain giant lived." Loki hummed to himself as if lost in a comforting memory. "Thrym was very pleased to see who he thought as Freya there and he decided that after the feast, he would return Thor’s hammer. Thor was not pleased but I managed to calm him down. Unfortunately, Thor was quite hungry and managed to eat an entire ox, eight salmons and drank three measures of mead. I was frozen in my seat as Thor ate and Thrym, plus his kin, watched him with confusion. Thrym asked why his bride was eating and drinking so much and I managed a little lie that Thrym’s bride to be was so eager to arrive in Jotunheim that she did not eat or drink for eight nights. Thrym accepted that as the feast went on and I was sure we would get back the hammer easily with no more trouble. That is until Thrym lifted Thor’s veil and tried to kiss him.”

“Oh my god,” Tony blurted out, laughter bubbling out his chest. “He tried to kiss Thor? Ah man, Thor will never live this down.”

Loki laughed lightly as well, a soft smile on his face. “I must admit, I was completely dumbfounded, shocked, and unsure of what to do. Thor growled angrily and Thrym pulled away with confusion, turning to me. He asked me why Freya’s eyes were so fearful and why her eyes were flaming mad. I told the giant king that Freya had not slept either; she was so eager to arrive in Jotunheim. He accepted that easily and once the feast was done, ordered a servant to bring over Mjolnir. Thor lost it at the sight of his hammer and proceeded to go on a rampage, killing all the giants in the home, effectively killing the king of the mountain giants and his kin.”

“Clint wasn’t kidding when he said Thor killed people who didn’t agree with him.”

“Sadly, that was the case for many years. Thor got his hammer back though and we returned to Asgard heroes.” Loki’s voice tapered off as his cheeks reddened. Tony’s brow furrowed until he realized how close they were, practically face to face.

“Uh,” Tony stuttered, starting to pull back a bit. Loki shook his head, face burning bright red as he did so. They awkwardly avoided eye contact until Tony asked a question. “There are two types of Jotuns?”

“Yes, mountain Jotuns and frost Jotuns. The mountain Jotuns are not Asgard’s enemy and don’t particularly enjoy interacting with other worlds. The frost Jotun, whose leader was Laufey before I killed him, fought with Asgard more often and made more enemies with the other worlds than the other Jotuns.”

“Speaking of frost Jotuns, do you think you would mind showing me your Jotun configuration? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I mean, I understand if you don't. Morphing is still new to you, I get that."

Loki cut Tony's upcoming rant off with a finger to the man’s lips, an amused smile on his own. “You deserve to know, Stark.”

Tony said no more as Loki took a deep breath, pulling his finger from Tony’s lips. A light blue tinge appeared on the god’s fingers before it spread across his skin, coating his skin in a rich blue. Linear and curve patterns danced across Loki’s skin, etched in as markings and symbols of something he knew not. Loki’s green eyes darkened to a crimson red as his nails lengthened a bit and turned black. His lips stained blue and horns grew from his head as his hair lengthened. The god grew a bit slimmer and his facial features softened before he closed his eyes and opened them up again, the morph complete.

“Wow,” Tony gasped, reaching out a hand for Loki’s cheek. Fae scowled lightly but let him press his fingers to faer skin. “Nothing bad is gonna happen if I touch you, right?”

“I have cast a spell on myself that will allow one to touch my skin and be safe.” Tony still couldn’t get over the change of voice. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” The man smirked as he continued tracing the embossed patterns on faer light blue skin, watching faer cheeks darken slightly. “What are the patterns for?”

“In Jotunheim they symbolize status. These are royal markings.” Red eyes looked away from brown. “I have two brothers, one of which is the king, and I am younger than both of them.”

“It’s beautiful.” Tony marveled at the alien skin, loving the texture beneath his fingers and the odd glow in the darkness of the bedroom.

“Flattery is unnecessary, Stark,” Loki spat, sounding more embarrassed than anything else.

“I’m not trying to flatter you, Loki, it’s just--” Tony cut himself off as he traced the patterns down the god’s arm. “You’re so beautiful like this.”

Loki’s face completely darkened and he felt faer embarrassment before fae covered her face with faer hands, mumbling for Tony to stop touching faer arm. He chuckled and continued to faer fingers, lightly pulling them away from faer face. Red eyes bore into brown as they laid there in the silence, only the sound of their breathing echoing in the room. Tears started to well in Loki’s eyes and Tony immediately pulled away, worried he had done something wrong.

“I’m so sorry if I offended you with all of that touching, fuck; I'm really bad at this boundaries thing."

Loki cut him off with a shake of faer head, a small smile on faer lips as fae wiped away the tears. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Stark. No one has ever told me that before." Fae paused and chuckled to faerself. "Well, Thor did but I would not be surprised if he gets paid to tell me I’m beautiful. Fulla couldn’t look me in the eyes and Odin could barely do so himself. Only Frigga and Thor did and to hear someone else who’s not them tell me something like that makes me happy. That is all.”

Tony took the god into his arms and pressed faer to his chest, cradling faer head lightly as fae accidentally wet his shirt with tears. Fae mumbled something into his neck, a _sorry_ for wetting his shirt, but he didn’t care for the apology as he kissed the top of faer head. “You’re beautiful as Aesir Loki,” he started, holding faer tighter, “you’re beautiful as Jotun Loki, you’re absolutely gorgeous no matter what configuration you take and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.”

Fae wrapped faer arms around him in return, telling him thank you as they held onto each other. Tony pulled away lightly, wiping a tear from faer face as the blue dispersed and peachy white took its place. A blue hand reached for Tony’s face and the man watched the arm attached to the hand lighten to Loki’s Aesir skin color. Red eyes melted into Loki’s classic poison green and Tony found himself face to face with the Loki he first met, their breaths mingling in the tiny gap left between their mouths.

Tony closed it first, leaning forward to take the god’s lips with his own. Loki’s eyes slid closed as he kissed back, cupping Tony’s cheek as the man pulled him closer. The sounds of rustling blankets and sloppy kissing reverberated throughout the room as the two cuddled closer, caught in the moment. Tony cupped the back of Loki’s head as they rolled over, the god hovering over Tony with a leg between the man’s two legs. Tony let his hands trail down Loki’s back and grab his hips as the kiss deepened. Loki worked his silvertongue, turning Tony into a puddle of incoherent mess. Breathing was a stupid excuse for having to pull away from the heavenly kisses and Loki thought so too as he peppered Tony’s neck with kisses when the man pulled away to breathe. Somehow, Tony found himself on top of Loki, the god’s arms around his neck as they groaned and moaned against each other, lost in the moment of passion and lust. Loki smirked when his leg brushed up between Tony’s legs.

“Shut up,” he mumbled against the god’s lips, feeling his face heat up. “At least it’s not magic induced this time. I’m not the only one either.”

Loki scowled as he shoved a laughing Tony off him, sitting up with his arms crossed. Tony giggled as he sat up, running a hand through his mess of hair. Loki sent him a glare and curled up on the bed, back facing Tony. Tony himself let out a couple more laughs before he curled up beside Loki, who relaxed as Tony wrapped his arms around the god’s waist.

“Tired?”

“Yes. I also need rest if I am to return to Asgard tomorrow.” The god certainly sounded a bit winded and tired.

“I don’t think I said this yet but thanks for showing me your other configuration.”

“There is no need to thank me. As I said before, you deserve to see my true self.” Loki’s words were slightly slurred. Tony wondered how much stamina the god had. It was only a day since Lokasenna though so Loki had to be extremely tired and weak since Midgard had no magic.

Tony closed his eyes and let out a gentle breath as he cuddled against the exhausted god. “Well, goodnight Loki.”

“Goodnight, Stark."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will probably post the next update after endgame is out; if u wanna talk endgame, my twitter and tumblr are anthxnystarks! until next time~


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